Armadillo
by Xiaine
Summary: AU Sanji comes to the "Lady's House" on a regular basis. One of the male employees are undergoing physical abuse he can't ignore. Contains SanUso, LuZo and other pairings. Rated M for the dark theme and gritty details, and possible lemons. EDIT: Surprised people still read this, but I haven't given up on it yet :
1. Penalty

Alright, this is a Sanji/Usopp fic. At least that pairing is the main focus. Other pairings include:

Luffy/Zoro (Yes, Luffy's dominant in this)

Marco/Ace (more minor but still there)

Other pairings are more fluff or business wise due to the environment the characters are in.

Rated M for the gritty details (meaning descriptions on penises and maybe vaginas too. WOO), possible lemons, abuse, colorful language (like FUCK and Bitch and 'cunt'), the dark atmosphere itself. It's not all sad and angst, there are humorous parts AND cute shit. Don't worry, I like lightening the mood when need be (not to mention Luffy's there).

Disclaimer: Not my characters. These characters belong to Eiichiro Oda.

If ya don't like, well ...kay.

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><p>He was lying on his side as the elder man drove his foot into the younger one's chest. The pain was excruciating, but he wasn't on the verge of any broken bones—yet. He hadn't presented himself correctly to the customers. They were uninterested in his attempts. Another kick hit slightly underneath the last spot. He hacked up a mouthful of saliva, turning his face toward the cold concrete. The Boss had been watching from afar, seeing as his efforts were half-assed. Of course, this didn't sit well with a man that expected the best out of his boys. The thought of how poor this damned long-nosed kid's advances were made him sick. Why did he hire such a low-life anyways?<p>

"I told you to give _everything_ you got! Can't you do that right?" He questioned, taking a quick break. Using his only hand to remove his cigar from between his teeth, he slowly exhaled. The smoke had danced around his face before evaporating into the air. He kneeled before the beaten boy and used his infamous hook to roll the limp body onto its back. The boy's eyes were hazy, as if the life within had escaped. He huffed in displeasure. Having them pass out or just "not be there" anymore was not fun. This kid made beatings boring. He clenched the boy's cheeks and moved his face from side to side to see if he'd react. No response, as expected.

The problem was that he wasn't done yet.

"This isn't going to save you." He cooed. Standing over the boy he raised his leg, positioning it over his stomach. "I'm still gonna beat the shit out of you." The impact caused the kid to jolt upward. He gagged, showing he was still somewhat there. The man on top was pleased again; he just needed to be snapped out of his little "escape". Weak hands sluggishly rose towards the man's shoe. The kid was trying to remove _his_ shoe? "What are you doing?" The question was obviously rhetorical.

"Pl-Please…" The boy began to sob. The man had placed the cigar in between his teeth again. Amusing, he thought, he was begging now.

"'Please' what?" He teased and grinned that devilish grin. It sent chills through the kid's shriveled body. He didn't know whether to answer or remain quiet.

"Please…stop." He continued, already feeling regret for even answering. The man lifted his foot. The boy's hopes lifted slightly, only to be quickly crushed by another stomp, this time with his fingers within the mix. The sobs became louder; this was what the man had wanted to hear. He began shuddering with excitement. The man chuckled out in a cold tone:

"I'm not finished yet."


	2. Beginning of The Big Night

Kay, disclaimer is these aren't my characters, description of what to be expected is in first chapter : D i'm too lazy to even copy and paste it.

Yeah. I'm sorry in advance if Ace's actions later on in this chapter seem a bit out of character. Or... if anyone is out of character ;m;'' Please enjoy OTL

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><p>He had arrived on time dressed in his best suit with the best cologne he could afford and brand new shoes to match. For once he hadn't been stopped by any outside distractions as he was getting ready for the big night. Not only was he going to watch the much anticipated appearance of the newest addition to the "Lady's Home", but his good friend Luffy would have a taste of the beautiful courtesans available. He felt good that Luffy's older brother had mentioned bringing him along for a little fun. He didn't think much of it at first due to the kid's inability to notice the female species, but he felt maybe he'd be more entertained with the gay men's bar that took up the other half of the building. He waited in his car, having parked on the curb a few meters away from the "Lady's House". Having the windows rolled down, he patted the exterior of the car door in sync with his whistling.<p>

The one time he was early, he thought with a bit of annoyance. Ace hadn't shown up nor had Luffy. The sidewalk and streets had been crowded that night. Many men and women rushing to and fro from the whore house, some with classy escorts and others reaching into empty pockets with dopey smiles planted on their faces. He spied a few pretty ladies passing by who were stuck in their own world, chatting about the day's events. He smirked as he watched their hips switched a little too hard. He shook his head and chuckled, those were his kind of women.

He decided it was time to leave the car. He felt cramped, not being able to stretch his long legs. He searched his pockets quickly for his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Taking a single cigarette and planting it on his lips, he opened his lighter and flicked it to life. He took a long whiff and relaxed as the smoke escaped his lips. He sat up and then opened the door, making sure he had his keys, smokes, lighter and wallet on him. Everything was in check.

"Sanji!" Turning towards the whore house he didn't see where the familiar voice had come from. He turned in the opposite direction and saw Ace waving from within the crowd. Sanji smiled and waved back. He locked up his car and made his way onto the sidewalk. Next to Ace, from what Sanji could see, he spotted a bouncing clump of black hair; that must've been Luffy. He waited where he stood and allowed them to make their way to him. The two brothers stopped before the other and exchanged their hellos. "Sorry we took a bit, didn't think you'd be here so soon." Both of them were nicely dressed. Ace sported a collared shirt along with dress pants and dress shoes. Luffy had mimicked his brother's clothing, to Sanji's assumption, only due to him being unable to dress himself properly for such an occasion.

"I actually tried to be here on time." Sanji replied. Ace snickered and shrugged. "What?"

"That's pretty rare for you, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Here, I'll rephrase it; it's _very_ rare for you." Sanji was known for being "fashionably" late, be it birthday parties, get-togethers, anything. Sanji couldn't argue with that, though he didn't want to admit to never being on time. He had his own shit to do.

"Ooooh! Sanji you must be excited or something, huh?" Luffy asked. He was always smiling which caused Sanji to smile back. This kid was such a dork, but he was at least entertaining.

"Yeah, I'm pretty damn excited for tonight. How about you?"

"Well, you guys said I'll have a good time, so yeah!" How simple-minded, Sanji thought. Luffy had no idea what they meant when they said they'd be going to a house filled with barely clothed women and men. It got Sanji to thinking that maybe Luffy just didn't give a shit about these things, unless it was _women_ Luffy didn't give a shit about. He shrugged it off quickly once Ace mentioned that one of the employees had been announcing the show getting ready to start in ten minutes. Sanji perked up and turned to the other two.

"Ready?" The brothers grinned in response. The trio had begun walking toward the front door of the "Lady's House"; soon to notice one of the three had been missing. Ace looked around, noticing Luffy was nowhere in sight. Sanji stopped, spotting a fussing Ace. He frowned, this wasn't the time to play baby-sitter. "Where's Luffy?" He yelled. Ace turned to him with an uneasy smirk on face.

"I-I don't know! He's not…" Sanji cut him off with a point of a finger.

"He's behind you." He said in an aggravated tone. Ace turned quickly spotting Luffy standing in front of an alley-way entrance. He looked fixated on something. Ace hurried over to his younger brother.

"Luffy! What are you doing? The show's about to start!" He shook Luffy's shoulder slightly. Luffy didn't respond, still fixed on whatever was in the alley. Ace followed his brother's gaze and couldn't help but be stuck on whatever was there. Sanji had kept looking back at the two, hoping they would speed it up. He saw the two staring in the alley looking like dumb asses. He bit the butt of his cigarette and growled.

"Shitty brothers, what are you two doing?" He yelled as loud as he could. Neither of them replied. He repeated himself, only to see Luffy nearly charge into the alley with his hands balled into fists. Ace stopped him before he could advance another step. Sanji twitched; he had to go over there himself. He stomped his way over, seeing that Ace was still holding Luffy back.

"Let me at him!" Luffy barked.

"What are you idiots doing?" Sanji chimed in. Ace turned to Sanji and nodded towards the alley, he looked pissed as well. Sanji huffed, uninterested and turned to see what the dumb asses were so infatuated with. He blinked, now understanding why Luffy was so riled. A man with a familiar hook replacing his left hand was stooped over what looked like a body, stomping it repeatedly. Sanji winced from the stamps and turned to the brothers.

"Let me at him!" Luffy screamed. The man stopped, realizing he had a small crowd forming. He stepped away from the body and puffed on his cigar. Sanji placed a hand on Ace's shoulder, motioning for them to leave. Neither of the brothers seemed to be listening to him. The man had bent down and picked up the limp body and hefted it over his shoulder. He then opened a door, most likely the back stage entrance, and disappeared inside.

Ace let Luffy go, the younger brother turning to the others with wild eyes.

"Why didn't you let me go after him? I could've kicked his ass!" Ace shook his head.

"I wanted to do the same, Luffy."

"Then why'd you hold me back?"

"You're too reckless some times. Right now isn't the time." Sanji nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure who it was that was receiving such a punishment, but it wasn't their business and they were customers. The man they had just seen was one of the big bosses that could've had them banned from ever coming to this place again. Ace just saved their asses. "We'll get to kick his ass soon, just not right now. Sanji's been waiting for this night forever, and I don't want you screwing it up for him."

Luffy shot Sanji a glare. He then observed the alley-way again. What could be so important that they would allow that guy to just hurt someone that way? Luffy didn't care what they had been waiting for, that man deserved a good punch to the face. Sanji tensed, feeling that they had lost Luffy completely to this shitty moment. He felt maybe it was time to bribe.

"Hey, Luffy… It's not as bad as you may think. Who knows, that may have been some sort of thief, you know?" Ace gave Sanji a very unconvinced look. He knew his younger brother was gullible but that seemed very unbelievable. Luffy began to relax and rolled his shoulders back.

"I guess… But still, he shouldn't have been stomping on that guy like that." Close enough, the elder men thought. "Are we going inside or what?" Ace and Sanji nodded, relieved that Luffy was so easy to manipulate.


	3. The Lady's House

Disclaimer: Not my characters!

Please enjoy! I'm hoping this chapter will be a fun one to read~ SO MANY UPDATES

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><p>The "Lady's House" glowered a dim, comfortable light. The candles sitting on the walls with faint lights from the chandeliers above was calming, matching the jazzy music mixed with chattering and light moans that surrounded the atmosphere. The walls were made of marble that covered even the ceiling. The floor had been coated in the softest material carpet, making it so lying on the floor was comfortable if any of the customers had passed out. Love seats and long elegant sofas were spread throughout the grand room, sprinkled with human bodies mingling amongst them. On the left hand side of the room was the stage, the place where the women would put on the show, the place the new girl would be presented. The right side had a very huge bar, drinks of any kind from water to the hardest liquor that was found within the city. At the end of the chamber was a giant case of stairs that led up to the "love nests", for the customers that paid for more than just a quick chat. Two doors beside the bottom of the stairs led to the lower class rooms. Another door planted on the right side of the wall next to the bar that led to the "Men's House", as Sanji would call it.<p>

The scent of mixed perfume and body odor filled the air. Sanji took in a big whiff of the air around them, turning to the brothers and grinned.

"So? What do you think, Luffy? Pretty nice, right?" The younger brother didn't seem too interested. He shifted his eyes from side to side, trying to focus on something that caught his eye, but had nothing in sight other than the shiny chandeliers. Sanji frowned somewhat, not understanding what it was that Luffy even wanted.

"Where's the food?" He asked. Sanji groaned, Ace following after with a loud laugh.

"That's my little brother. They don't exactly sell food here, Luffy. They sell drinks though, if you're interested in those?" Luffy shrugged. Ace already knew that meat was on this kid's mind. "This is why we ate before coming here."

"Agh, well alright I guess. So what's so fun about this place?" Ace began laughing again and Sanji smacked his face with his hand.

"The women. The show that's going to be coming on any minute now! Don't you see pretty women walking around almost _naked_?" Luffy took a look at the women that passed them by. One winked at him, only causing him to shudder. Sanji was so ready to kick this idiot for not realizing what he's missing out on! Ace calmly patted Luffy's head.

"Maybe he's just not into women. I'll see if he'll like what's on the other side then." Sanji huffed and just nodded. His disappointment couldn't crash any lower than it had.

"Hope you two have _fun_ on the queer side." Ace merely threw up a peace sign and led his brother towards the door that led to the "Men's House". Sanji watched the two leave, now alone to enjoy just him and the pretty ladies that surrounded him. He shook his head, not sure how they couldn't see just how amazing the women were. He turned towards the stage and sighed. He just couldn't wait for this new girl to show her face. He needed a drink before the show began. Hurrying over to the bar, catching a glimpse of the two brothers entering the other side, he leaned against the counter top and called the bartender over.

"What can I getcha?" The man asked placing both hands onto the counter top, leaning towards the blond.

"Give me a glass of your finest wine. I need something of real good taste to go with tonight's show." The bartender grinned and nodded. He turned around and searched for his best. Sanji had peeked at the stage again, biting the butt end of his cigarette. The bartender slapped down a glass and poured in the red liquid. Sanji pulled out a little more than ten belli and placed it next to the glass. "Keep the change." A famous line he couldn't help but use. Taking his glass, he strolled back over to the left side of the room, standing within the crowd of eager young men.

Taking a sip, familiar orange hair bobbed right past him. He lowered his glass to see his favorite courtesan, Lady Orange. She had purposely walked past him to get his attention, pushing for a quiet cat and mouse chase within the crowd. Sanji had followed after, making sure to not lose sight of the bright colored orange hair that shined even in the dim lighting. He swerved past the men that stood in his way, mimicking her footsteps until he was out of the crowd. He stopped just behind her and swooped his free arm around her waist. Rubbing her right side he leaned down and kissed her ear. She giggled and turned to him fully. She seemed to have dressed her nicest as well. The long red dress she wore presented her ranking within the "House", in other words, she was a top notch courtesan.

"I see you're getting ready for tonight's show." She cooed in her "nice" tone. Sanji nodded.

"I'm hoping you don't mind," He replied "I couldn't help but be extremely attentive of this new girl that's been the talk of the night." He was hoping to get an ounce of jealousy from Lady Orange. She had not been affected by his attempts.

"She's not as amazing as they make her to be. Quite pathetic in my honest opinion." Her words countered her body language. She seemed upset about the new addition but looked very unmoved. This new girl must've been younger than her, someone who was capable of taking her place as the top woman there.

"That does sound like a letdown. But you shouldn't worry," He took her hand and kissed it. "You're too beautiful to be thrown aside." Her lips curled into curiosity, she wanted to hear more. "You will forever be my favorite. No matter what new girls they may show."

"I hope you can keep those words. The show's beginning." All eyes had averted towards the stage. The lights above brightened the dark room and showered upon a single woman standing on the platform.

The "head mistress" of the "Lady's House" stood proudly before the crowd. Her raven-black hair rested upon her shoulders. Her delicate hands cupped her elbows, seemingly pumping up her ample breasts. Her lips were crinkled into a calm smile, countering her piercing brown eyes. Lady Fleur, she was called amongst the girls, The Purple Beauty amongst the customers. She had waited for silence to creep in and finally began her introduction.

"Welcome back," she began. Her voice was soothing, helping to set the mood. "I would like to introduce our newest member to the family. I would like to ask that you treat her with respect, allow her to feel comfortable, as she is extremely shy. As of now she is not available for any activities above small talk—"A simultaneous groan sounded from the crowd. Lady Fleur silenced them quickly with the snap of her fingers. "As I said, she is not available for anything above chatting. She is new here and will need to get use to the environment. If you all may, please welcome, The Princess." She stepped back as the huge curtains raised just enough for a person to walk through. The girl had begun walking forwards, keeping her head down. Her hair was the color of a light baby blue, shining underneath the bright lights above. She wore a form fitting white dress that loosened around the waist and ended just before her ankles. Her clear high heels had to be at least four inches, tapping against the platform. She faced the crowd of hungry perverse men with a look of innocence.

She turned to Lady Fleur with a glance of uneasiness. The head woman only nodded. The Princess had opened her mouth to speak, only to have nothing come out. Someone began clapping, followed by the voice of cheering as more and more pitched in. The group had called out to the new girl, shouting her name, whooping and hooting. The Princess was utterly surprised by the sudden uproar. She didn't think she caused that on her own. Lady Fleur had ceased all noise after a full minute of the cheering. She held out a hand for The Princess to grab onto. She was going to give her a real tour of the place.

"It's the dancers turn to have the spotlight."


	4. No Interest

D Brothers conversation. Hope this is enjoyableeeee~~

Disclaimer: Not my characters

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><p>"No meat on this side either?" Came the lingering question. Luffy swerved in his seat as he waited for Ace to receive his drink. Ace shook his head.<p>

"Not over here either, Luffy." He said and turned towards his brother. "Tell me, what were you expecting from this whole trip?" They eyed each other for a moment or two. Luffy looked up at the ceiling and replied:

"A place with a lot of meat, maybe a fun house with lots of jumpers! Or maybe we'd hang out with your friend Marco and all the others!" Ace had to chuckle to himself. His brother still possessed that innocent charm. "I'm guessing it's none of those?"

"Well, we'll be seeing Marco for sure, the other two, not so much." Ace thanked the bartender for the drink and tipped him. He turned towards the crowd, the set-up the exact same on the other side. He gulped down his drink rather quickly and gasped. "God, that's some good stuff! Sure you don't want any?"

"I rather have it with some meat. Is Sanji going to cook for us after this?" Like Ace knew something like that.

"We'll see." The two observed the others, instead of barely clothed women, there were barely clothed men. They ranged from very buff to the average skinny. Ace noticed that even now, his brother hadn't caught anything worth his eye. He sighed and placed his cup back on the counter top and nudged Luffy. "Ay, I think one of the guys is scopin' you." Luffy blinked, turning to his brother.

"What do you mean?" He asked, frowning somewhat. Ace raised a brow at his brother and laughed.

"I mean one of those guys in the corner is lookin' your way."

"Why? Do they want something?"

"Maybe they want to talk to you?"

"Then they can come over here and talk to me. Or do I have to get up?" Ace couldn't help but laugh louder. He sat up straight and turned fully towards Luffy.

"You seriously don't know what I mean?" he asked, not too surprised. Luffy shrugged. He began picking his nose and huffed. "Hm, I guess that's to be expected of you." Ace had to think. He didn't want to leave his brother alone if Marco had come along requesting a room for them together, and he surely didn't want Luffy coming with them and watching from the corner. He had to find someone or some people to entertain Luffy while he was gone. Ace had to make sure this person was at least enjoyable or along those lines of Luffy's taste. He only saw borderline sex machines and low-class boys that weren't worth the talk.

Neither spoke for what seemed like hours. Ace had hung his head, giving up his search for the best male courtesan to please his brother.

"Pick that head of yours up." Ace opened his eyes and did as the voice had told him.

"Hi, Marco!" Luffy said quickly. Marco smiled at Luffy.

"Call me "Phoenix" here, alright?" he winked. Luffy giggled and nodded.

"That's a funny name, but okay, Marco!" Both Ace and Marco exchanged their smiles. _It's Luffy_ both their faces said.

"Oi, Phoenix, before I forget, you know any good guys around here that can satisfy my little brother while we're busy?" Luffy leaned towards the two, Marco sinking into thought.

"By 'satisfy' do you mean…sexually or just entertaining?" Marco looked at the two. Luffy frowned slightly, not sure what these two were trying to get him into. Ace glanced at Luffy and then back at Marco.

"I would think just entertaining, but I wouldn't deny my brother any sexual fun as well."

"Oi!" Luffy huffed hurriedly. Ace shrugged. Marco turned from the brothers and scanned the crowd. He knew everyone there was to know, but for someone who could entertain Ace's younger brother seemed a bit tricky. From what he already knew, Luffy needed someone that could understand him on his level of thinking, yet still be charming in his eyes. He smiled when remembering the obvious choice.

"Ah, Luffy. You'll want to talk to the one we like to call "Bushido". He's easy to spot due to his odd green hair. Interested?" Luffy hunched his shoulders and tilted his head to the side. He wasn't too sure himself, but remembering that Marco had mentioned 'green hair' sort of had him curious.

"I guess so." He said flatly and hopped off his seat. "Where is he?" Ace gave Marco a thankful wink.

"I have to fetch him first, but you can come with me."


	5. 10 Minute Bath

It was break-time for the green haired courtesan. He usually spent this time relaxing back stage and grabbing a quick snack, changing into his "samurai" get-up. Tonight was different. The Boss was unsatisfied, uncontrollable even by his trusted right hand man, Daz Bones. He hadn't heard much of what had happened, but one of the boys didn't obey some command he had issued and he went crazy on him outside. There was high unrest back stage, especially for the green haired courtesan. He paced within his room, not wanting to get in a line of trouble with that Boss of his. He didn't want to come into contact with Daz if he was utterly useless against the Boss's raging tangents. He had hoped that whoever had screwed up wasn't who he thought it would be. He wasn't allowed to ask questions, nor was he allowed to go into the Boss's room without permission. His break was only to be taken place within his own room.

Time's like this he wished he was on the women's side of the place. The boss there, Lady Fleur, was at least courteous and fair to the girls, giving them all high treatment, unlike their piece of shit. He gritted his teeth to the thought, swearing that one day he'd gut that hooked-freak. What else could he do though? This was his only way to make any money with so little jobs available, jobs that he didn't qualify for. He sat down in his chair, eyeing the door. Something told him someone would come bursting through with some kind of news.

His instincts proved right. The door swung open, revealing Daz on the other side with his usual straight face. The green haired man stood up at attention.

"You're wanted in the baths. Crocodile says he wants you to wash the worthless kid. He already dropped him off for you." His heart sank. He was right about those assumptions too. Whatever that long-nose did, he did it at the worst of times. "He says you have less than ten to clean him up, and then you're wanted back on stage again." With that, Daz closed the door. Enraged, the green haired man couldn't help but pound his fist into the wall. He couldn't be mad at the long-nose. No, there was no reason to take his anger out on the one who had reluctantly came to this place with similar reasons. But, why wasn't this kid strong enough to understand the shit he was going to put himself through?

He was wasting time. He hurried towards the baths, nearly running over. The walk there wasn't at all long. Opening the door, he panted not sure he was even ready to see the damage; he knew he would have an internal rampage bubbling within. He peeked into the bathroom and searched for the beaten kid. He had resided within the farthest bathtub, completely void of any water and all his clothing intact. The door was closed, causing the long-nosed kid to jump from where he sat. Through barely open eyes he spotted the green haired man and smiled weakly.

The older man's heart sunk lower. He had to contain his rage and save it for another time. This wasn't anything new, he told himself. He rushed over to the bathtub and kneeled down. The long-nosed kid was still recognizable, his face wasn't too worrisome. He was bleeding from his forehead and nose, had a black eye and bruised cheeks, but his breathing seemed to waver.

"Zoro…" The long-nosed boy whispered under his breath.

"Don't talk. I can't stay too long this time. Can you move?" A slight shake of the head. Zoro's frown deepened. He begun stripping the other of his tattered clothes, revealing very unfathomable bruises decorated on the boy's torso. _That bastard!_ He was careful not to move the other too much, trying his best to avoid hurting him. He worked at removing his pants and boxers, throwing the clothing to the side and starting up the water. "What the hell did you do to piss him off?"

As the water filled the tub, Zoro had begun working on washing the boy's shoulders, accidentally scrubbing too hard a little too often. He kept apologizing under his breath. He only had ten minutes, he would echo in his mind, ten minutes to pamper and comfort the kid before he had to go off and do more embarrassing work. Beyond the whimpers and groans, the long-nosed kid still tried speaking to Zoro.

"Shut up, Usopp. It looks like it hurts to even breathe!" He tried to hurry up the washing process. Ten Minutes, they were probably already up by then. Maybe someone would inform him, but thinking in such a hopeful way seemed like the stupidest thing to do. The door had opened, both guys turning to see who the new comer was. A patch of blond banana-like hair came into view. Both others had felt a calm sensation re-enter their bodies. "Phoenix?"

"Someone told me you'd be here. I got a customer for you." Of all times, Zoro grumbled to himself. "Don't worry; he doesn't seem like the sex hungry type."

"I'm not worried about that." He turned away from the other and resumed lightly scrubbing Usopp's arm. Marco understood what he meant, but he was unable to allow this from going on for too long. He had wanted what was best for all the men that were working alone side him. He couldn't stand to see the unjust abuse his fellow employees had to endure for even the tiniest mistake. The cold reality of avoiding it all was to just listen to orders. Marco felt the connection that these two had shared, but he knew they had to cut their moments short if neither of them wanted to get a beating.

"Come on, Bushido. You need to come on stage. I'll ask for someone else to take care of him." That wasn't reassuring. Zoro kept on scrubbing; moving onto Usopp's other arm, he kept the slow and steady pace. "Let's go, man. If you keep this up, you'll make matters worse." Matters were already bad enough. How could it possibly get any worse than this? The scrubbing came to a stop. He growled, having the hardest time letting his friend's arm go. What kind of 'friend' was he if he couldn't even be there for him when he was needed most? He wanted to apologize, for this wasn't the first time he had to leave Usopp without treatment.

"This better be a good fucking customer." He barked once he set Usopp's arm down into the bath water. Usopp looked up at the other once he stood. Zoro was unable to face the long-nosed boy again. He was leaving him by himself again, alone with his memories of being tortured, alone in a bathroom without being able to wash his own ass. Taking a few deep breaths, Zoro regained his composure, trying to distract himself from the situation.

"S'okay…" Usopp murmured in between his heaved pants. Zoro took a moment to pause. _It's not okay… It'll never be okay_.

"Call someone over right now. I'm not leaving till there's someone in here." Marco nodded and left out of the bathroom, closing the door. Zoro remained next to the bathtub, crossing his arms as the two waited. He peeked down at the other; he had managed to find a way to relax. Usopp had leaned back in the tub, submerging most of his chest under the hot water. His breaths were less harsh by now, giving the elder man a small feeling of relief. Stooping back down next to the tub, Zoro reached for the hand he hadn't finished scrubbing. He picked up the rag he had used to wash and resumed to his previous actions.

"You don't… have to do that…you know." Usopp wheezed. Zoro frowned and looked him in the face. Usopp twitched and looked away from the green haired man's gaze. His eyes were sharp, showing little to no contentment. Zoro brought the rag up to Usopp's face and lightly dabbed at his cheeks. "O-Ow…" He muttered. He gave another dab on his fore head, then another under his nostrils. Wetting the rag, Zoro had rung it out to make it as dry as possible. He began dabbing the same spots, slowly cleaning up the blood and dirt, and soon to be tears.

"Stop crying. You want them to see you as "weak"?" He wiped around Usopp's eyes. "Crying like that makes you look vulnerable to them."

"I-I can't…" Usopp hiccupped and lifted one of his hands to rub his eyes.

"Yes you can. Be strong."

"I-I can't! I'm -hic- not strong." This wasn't helping Zoro's mood whatsoever. He grumbled his response, feeling it was near impossible to convince this idiot that he was capable of being strong without yelling at him. He wiped Usopp's neck down just before the door swung open again. Marco appeared again by himself.

"I couldn't find anyone, so I'll take care of him." Far as Zoro was concerned, this was completely fine with him. He stopped, giving Usopp a pat on the shoulder and rose.

"So where's this customer you were talking about earlier?" Even now, he was still uninterested. Marco snickered as he pasted him and kneeled in the spot Zoro had resided in.

"My most frequent client's younger brother. He's a pretty unique guy, but I can see the resemblance between the two." Zoro hadn't known much about Ace, nor did he want to. Hearing that his next catch was the brother of someone else's regular didn't give him too much of a good feeling about this. He turned towards the door. "He's at the bar. His name's Luffy. You might like him, at least I'm hoping. You have to keep him occupied at least until my client and I are done." What was he doing, watching after this guy? "Pleasure the kid. Show him a good time."

A good time? This didn't seem very promising. He felt as though he was going to be bored out of his mind just watching after this younger brother. Well, long as he was getting paid the right amount, he'd do anything. Looking back down at Usopp, he noticed the kid wasn't crying anymore. His head was leaning against his left shoulder, both eyes closed. Marco had been rubbing around Usopp's shoulders, working the rag in small, light circles.

"Thanks. Take care of him while I'm gone."

"We're all brothers here. Just go do your job." Marco glimpsed up at the other. He winked, only to get a grunt as a response. Zoro made his way to the door. Though this new customer sounded like a drag, he hurried out the bathroom to see what he was going to be dealing with.


	6. The Nightmares Resurface

This chapter came out to be the longest. There's a (partial?) lemon coming up. Ah... I hope the descriptions don't turn ya off XDD This is my second writing of sexual deeds. So... yeah. Sorry if it sounds awkward. Writing this made me feel bad. Luffy makes up for it all though, ya know?

Disclaimer: Not my characters.

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><p>The place was crowded tonight. There were twice as many people than there was the night before. Zoro made his way through all the swaying drunks and dancing men. Sometimes he wondered how they could do such things without feeling any shame. The bar wasn't too far away where five guys were lounging around in a circle there. He skimmed the group, not seeing the Ace character that he could at least recognize. Getting closer, he was able to see some guys behind the group. One of them looked familiar.<p>

"Oi, are you Ace?" he asked as soon as he had reached the man with the noticeable face. He looked up at Zoro with a drunken smile. He nodded and turned to the boy next to him. Must be the Luffy kid he was supposed to cater to. "Then this is Luffy?" He pointed to the other.

"Yeah, I'm Luffy!" The kid said himself. Zoro turned to him and looked him over. He didn't look like much at all, a little on the weird side with his huge eyes staring directly back at him. The dressy clothing he wore didn't seem to fit his style, but still looked pretty good. "You're Bushido. Your hair's green!" Ace began to laugh, taking another huge gulp from his beer keg.

"Yeah, I was told you were my next customer. So what are you paying for? We stayin' out here or are you getting us a room?" This Luffy kid looked confused. _Figures._ Ace spoke up and waved a finger in the air.

"Room. You'll both be getting a room. Keep my brother entertained, will ya? He's here for _new_ experiences. Show him a few tricks if you can." Ace gave Zoro a cheeky grin. Was this kid a virgin or something? Zoro huffed, and then turned back to the kid.

"Alright, come on. You can pay me after." Luffy turned to Ace, blinking in misunderstanding. Ace pulled his brother into his arms and whispered a few things in his ear. Luffy backed away from not sure how to respond. Something about letting the green haired guy do whatever he felt like with him. Ace promised it would be fun.

"You sure it'll be fun?"

"Ah, ah, Luffy. You gotta find out for yourself. Go on and follow Mr. Bushido to your room and he'll show you all kinds of new things."

"Where will you be then?"

"I'll be with Marco. I'll come fetch you when I'm done, alright?" The brothers nodded at each other. Luffy turned to Zoro with a smile.

"Alright, Bushido guy! Take me to the room!" This didn't exactly spell fun for courtesan. He then led the way through the crowd, the bouncy brother following after. "What's inside the room?" He shouted over the noise. _Seriously?_ "Is the room really big? Or is it tiny and cramped? Why do we need a room anyways?" Zoro held off on answering any of these dumb questions and began trudging up the huge flight of stairs. "Is your name really Bushido? I know Marco's name is 'Phoenix', but he said to call him that here." They had reached the top. Zoro began walking towards the last door on the right and opened it for Luffy. This kid really hadn't been to any place such as this, just by the way he looked around the room.

Zoro closed the door behind him, locking it and switching the 'Vacant' sign to 'Occupied'. He waited for the boy to finish observing and direct his full attention back on him. Leaning against the wall, he watched as Luffy walked around and patted the queen-sized bed that sat in the middle of the room. He sat on it and reached for the pile of sex toys. This ought to be fun, Zoro chuckled mentally. Luffy had picked up what looked like a beaded necklace in his eyes. He threw those aside and searched the heap for something more fascinating. A pair of fuzzy handcuffs caught his eye. He picked them up and grinned. What was he thinking of as he examined those? He set those down next to his leg as he began fingering through the rest of the toys. The weird shaped dildos didn't seem to have much effect compared to the set of rabbit ears. A ball with two straps on each side of it reminded Luffy of a collar, more than a gag.

"What are all these things here for anyways? Are they toys?" About time, Zoro thought.

"Yeah, but they're not for what you're thinking." Making his way over to the bed, Zoro sat on the opposite edge and held his hand out. "You need me to explain these or something?" Luffy smiled and nodded. He looked around for one of the toys he found kind of cool.

"This necklace with all these beads." He began. Zoro snickered and took the beads by the very tip.

"These are anal beads. You don't wear them around your neck." Luffy began laughing. "Is that funny to you?"

"Why would you stick those up there? Wouldn't it be like pooping backwards?" Zoro had to join in on the laughter. This wasn't so bad, this was at least funny.

"You're not like my other johns. You must be a virgin, huh?" Zoro asked setting the beads down. Luffy tilted his head and shrugged. "You never had sex, right?"

"Nope. Not that I know of. Ace kept telling me that felt good, but he said not to do it with just anyone. I wonder what it feels like, but eh, I don't really care about those things."

"You're not interested now?" Did he have no idea where he was? This place was filled with sexual opportunities.

"Mnn… I wouldn't think so. It's a mystery feeling. Now what is the ball thing for?" He held up the ball gag and handed it to Zoro.

"It's a gag. You put the ball in someone's mouth and tie the straps together so it stays."

"How do you eat? I wouldn't want this in my mouth if I couldn't eat anything."

"It muffles the person's voice. It's…like a sexual kink some people enjoy. It's a type of bondage." Luffy didn't seem to get any of this. Zoro wasn't sure whether or not it was time to convince this kid that they could try sex out, otherwise they would be forever doomed to a long, dragging conversation that consisted of explanations of various sex toys that weren't to be used for this session. He didn't want to force the kid into anything, though he remembered his brother telling him to show him new experiences and tricks. Marco had said something similar. He wondered if this meant just showing this guy how some things worked, or if it meant just getting him in bed. Zoro didn't mind having that kind of interaction, even with someone as dimwitted as Luffy, but at the same time it felt somewhat wrong.

He was hoping to wait on Luffy's call. He was catering to this kid, not the other way around. He didn't exactly want to be stuck in this tedious conversation. Looking at these toys and not using them seemed like a huge loss, since he hadn't been getting any room customers lately. Maybe Luffy needed it said plain and simple, or he just needed to be lead in that direction. So far, he seemed like a nice catch. Zoro couldn't help but like him regardless of the stupid questions he asked. The personality was worth getting to know.

"Well, if people want to do weird stuff like that, whatever. I think this could be better as a collar since the straps are long enough. Oi, Bushido, come here! I wanna see how it looks on you." Strange request but it wasn't something embarrassing. Zoro had mentally thanked the cleanup staff for cleaning these after each session. Who knows who's saliva had dripped from this very device. Zoro scooted himself onto the bed and moved over to Luffy. He lifted his head up so that his neck was easier to maneuver around. Luffy then reached forward, wrapping his hands around the other's neck and tightening the straps so that they held the ball in place on Zoro's trachea. "Perfect!" He shouted and then looked around for more accessories to add on.

Zoro eyed him curiously, grimacing a bit when seeing Luffy pull the rabbit ears from where his leg rested. He planted the ears on top of Zoro's head and examined him for a moment. He then looked around some more, hoping to find something else that would go good with this get up. All he spotted was the fuzzy handcuffs that didn't seem to have a key anywhere around. He huffed, standing up and checking all over the room for something else. Zoro followed the boy's movements and was utterly confused. What else was there?

"Aha!" Luffy pulled up what looked like a light pink rag. Zoro squinted, trying to see what it was, which came out to be a light pink apron with a tiger head in the middle. He couldn't remember ever seeing something like this and had wondered where it came from. Luffy looked it over and grinned. "Lookit, the tiger on the front makes this perfect! Put it on!"

"What? I'm not…" Zoro stopped and held it in. He was getting paid to do whatever the customer wanted. "You want me to put that on over the clothes I'm wearing?"

"No! It probably won't fit. You have to take your shirt off and put this on. It's the perfect combination." What did this dumbass mean? Zoro looked down at his costume, remembering that the top part wasn't separate from the bottom—a samurai costume in fact. He pulled down the fabric from the top of his shoulders and pulled his arm completely free of the sleeve. He did so with the other side and turned back to Luffy. "Okay, now put this on. I'll try looking for more stuff to give you."

While Luffy continued his search for abstract objects, Zoro had grabbed the apron and looked it over with disgust. Of all things he chose, it had to be a _pink apron_. He repeated in his mind that he was getting paid more than usually thanks to the decrease of room time he was receiving. He had to take that into consideration and bear with this kid's crazy tastes. It wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be, in fact, it was more like an innocent dress-up game. Putting on the apron really took away the nickname 'Bushido'. The front that was supposed to cover most of the chest started just below the nipples, leaving them completely exposed. The straps were made to curve around the outside of the chest. The temperature in the room was neither hot nor cold, but stripping away the top of his costume said otherwise.

"Hey! I found a tail! This is a tail right?" Luffy held up a long, furry, spotted rope. "If it's a tail, you gotta use this too, okay?" The other shivered, not exactly too happy about this choice. He didn't want to tell him that it was an artificial tail; he wanted to lie and call it something else.

"I-It's a tail, but in order to use that you have to do the same thing like the anal beads." Luffy wasn't interested in such things, Zoro thought. He was sure that Luffy would just through the fake tail aside and look for something else. He was too sure about it.

"But… it would go so good with the look. Any other way we can use this?" He was wrong.

"No. That's the only way."

"Well, you don't mind putting it in do you?" Why did he have to ask? Of course it was nothing for Zoro. He dealt with these things more than once, most of the time, it was worse than this encounter. He wasn't one for the fake animal shit, and it would be awkward since he'd be jamming this thing up his ass in front of someone that utterly knew nothing about these toys or sex itself. Would he feel anything from watching?

"I've done it before, I can do it again. It's part of my job." Zoro held out his hand for the tail, not looking at Luffy at all. Luffy happily skipped over and placed the tail in Zoro's hand.

"Oh, Bushido, you never told me your name." This kid…

"Why do you want to know? You plan on coming back or something?" If his brother was a regular… it seemed possible.

"I might if this stays fun. But we're friends now so I wanna know your real name." So they were considered friends now.

"Zoro."

"Ah, that's a cool name. Like Zorro from the movies!"

"Yeah, like that." This felt even more awkward than a minute ago. Now this kid was calling them being friends.

"I'll call you Zoro instead. I like it better than Bushido. It's a cool name too, but Zoro's shorter." _Simple-minded_. "Are you going to put on the tail now?" _That was fast_.

"Yeah, gimme a second." Luffy turned away and continued to explore the room. Taking this moment, Zoro lifted the bottom of his costume and slid the tail underneath. He kept his eyes on Luffy, making sure he didn't look back at random and see him doing this. He slowly advanced the tip of the tail's rubber end and ended up poking his left cheek. He twitched, cursing himself under his breath for not getting it right the first time. He hung his head for a moment and looked back up to see Luffy still searching the shelves on the other side. Gulping, he tried moving the tip in between his cheeks. When finally getting it right before the entrance, he huffed. Success, now all he had to do was quickly jam it in before Luffy gave him his undivided attention.

This part proved to be the trickiest when Zoro wanted to avoid making any sound at all. He involuntarily turned his head slightly toward his side, though he was unable to see what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, he pushed in the tip, holding in a grunt. He bit his lip and slowly moved a bit more of rubber inside. He had forgotten to use any lube, so of course this was going to be painful. He swore to himself again and accidentally breathed a little too loudly. He couldn't bring himself to look up just yet. He let go of the tail for a moment and moved his hand further down to where he was gripping the first bit of the synthetic fur. His thumb had cruised over the last bit of rubber, hitting a simple, single button that caused the toy to begin vibrating.

"U-Uhnn!" Zoro leaned forward, gripping the sheets with his other hand. _STUPID!_ He tried to find the button again, suddenly unable to press it at all. He began to tense all over from the tingly signals jolting throughout his body. He unwillingly let go of the tail, unable to fight the vibes. Zoro managed to lift his head, seeing that Luffy was now staring right at him—of all times.

"You okay there?" Luffy asked and walked over. "Does it really feel like pooping backwards? I mean if it's going in your butt and all." _This idiot!_ He stood before the other and examined his face. Zoro began to redden, avoiding Luffy's gaze. "Zoro?" He had no choice. Zoro couldn't fight against the vibrations, knowing that the pleasure had set in all too soon. He hadn't had any in a while, and this stupid tail was enough to get him slightly erect. Reaching out, Zoro grabbed the hem of Luffy's pants and pulled himself over to the boy. Luffy instantly pushed Zoro's head back out of instinct. "Oi! What are you doing?"

"Showing you… a good time." It took two hands to work at the stupid belt Luffy wore. He quickly pulled the strap free from the small metal piece. Luffy had reacted yet again, pushing Zoro's head back the same as before.

"Why are you taking off my pants?"

"Just… nnnh… trust me on this, okay?" Zoro huffed, trying to contain himself for the little while he could. Luffy sucked on his bottom lip and averted his eyes elsewhere.

"Okay. This better be fun though." _It will be._ Finally undoing Luffy's pants, Zoro placed his hand upon Luffy's crotch and began to rub the soft bulge. Luffy trembled, not at all use to anyone doing something like this. He groaned, not sure if this was the fun part Zoro was talking about. Zoro kept rubbing the same spot, slightly pinching the edges. The younger boy's body shuddered.

"This… might be a little weird, but bear with me." Zoro pulled down Luffy's briefs and pulled out his limp member. Luffy had shifted his legs slightly, not sure if he had liked the odd sensations and sudden cold drift all at once. Long fingers slid up and down the shaft, a light kiss followed after. Not bad of a package, Zoro smiled. He decided to be extra careful with this little delight. Licking his lips, he kissed the base, and lightly nibbled on the skin. The light noises Luffy made gave him chills. He moved onto the other side and repeated the process. He ran his lips along the skin, slowly inhaling the scent. Yeah, he missed this quite a bit.

Luffy grabbed onto Zoro's hair, his grip switched from tight to loose to tight again. Zoro had submerged Luffy's tip into his mouth. Without second thought, Zoro took in as much as he could. He pulled back, taking in a few breaths of air and went back in again. This time he had a bit of help. Luffy had thrust his hips lightly, managing to push a bit more of his length inside. _He's finally getting the hang of it_. Zoro could feel Luffy getting hard; at least it was happening much faster now that both of them were working for it.

When was the last time, or who was his last? Zoro couldn't help the thoughts that emerged from the back of his mind to resurface. He growled as he pulled away from Luffy. Why did these come up every single time? He didn't give a shit about when, or who he was doing, as long as he was able to get paid and save up to leave this godforsaken place. He wanted out, and this was the best way to get to that goal. Hearing the small panting noises above him, he peeked up at Luffy. The kid was staring right back at him with a flushed face. His breathing had quickened, his mouth left partly open. For a split sec, he had developed a long line of stitches across his face from one ear over to the other. His eyes were no longer wide and wondrous, but more piercing and cold. Smoke surrounded his face yet it didn't hide any detail in his façade.

'_You're not finished yet, slut. Keep going.'_

"Zoro, why'd you stop?" Zoro blinked, Luffy still standing over him with the same red face. _What was…?_ "Was that all?" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, his mind clouded in confusion. He patted his cheeks a few times to snap himself out of the daze and got back to what he had started. Instead of using his mouth, he used his right hand and stroked Luffy's shaft. He couldn't bring himself to look at what he was doing. He knew it wouldn't end well if he kept on thinking and thinking. The nightmares were coming back.

_Lights flashed. A collective of clapping hands surrounded the area, one of the most annoying sounds he had ever heard. It didn't make sense to look out into the crowd, for the lights were shining right in his face. He kept his eyes forward; looking past the disgusting display he was ordered to play with. Whistling, that goddamn whistling joined in. If only he had one of his swords with him, he'd cut them all. _

'_What are you sitting there for? You're supposed to be sucking my cock right now.' His voice was from the pit of hell itself. Burning into his ears and engraving itself within his mind. No matter where he would be, what he would be doing, this voice was the most memorable and most despised. He couldn't go against it. There was no other way. _

_It tasted horrible. Advancing with reluctance, it hurt to feel such a nasty object sliding against his tongue and nearly touching the back of his throat. He felt like biting it, purposely grazing his teeth against it as it slid in and out. He felt his hair being pulled, the man's grip horrifically so strong it could rip the hairs right out with no sweat. It was a warning that he was going a little too far, but he didn't give a shit. He closed his mouth a little more, causing his teeth to sink a little deeper into its ugly wrinkled skin. His head was pushed forward, initiating for it to remain as far in as it could get. The man held it there, knowing damn well the other could barely hold in it. The angle he was kept at gave him a pretty good look of the dominant man. Stitches across his face from ear to ear. A cigar in his mouth with smoke surrounding his face, but every detail remained clear as day thanks to the lights. His glaring eyes seared into the others, causing him to shudder. That damn hook sneaking up into his right cheek, slowly cutting through his dirty skin. _

'_Don't get too rough now.' He couldn't hold it in anymore. He began to gag, his body jerking involuntarily. _

'_You're such a whore.' Mercy was shown as the man pulled his head back, allowing him to hack up whatever he needed to. _

'_Dirty whore.' He let go of his hair, causing the poor green haired man to fall onto the floor face first. He coughed harshly, only to be granted with more cheers from before._

'_And the crowd loves you.' _

"Nnn, Zoro! Hey!" Luffy screamed, pulling on Zoro's cheeks and leaning down to his level. Zoro blinked until everything was completely hazy. "Why aren't you answering me?" Zoro struggled to break from Luffy's grip, only to fail in moving too much thanks to the vibrating tail.

"Leggo! You're hurting me." Luffy let go and frowned.

"Why didn't you answer me? I was calling you like fifty billion times! You kept rubbing me too hard!" Relief, he felt so much relief. _Flashback…it was just a flashback._ He swatted Luffy away and reached under his costume to shut off the vibrator. Finally, it was off. He pulled it out and leaned forward, his head nearly meeting with the bed sheets. He sighed and looked up at the kid who stood confused.

"I don't know. I just sort of…" he tried thinking up an excuse. He removed the rabbit ears and noticed that Luffy wasn't at all erect. He must've been stroking a bit too hard then. "Sorry."

"Well, don't do that again. Was that all though? It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be."

"No that wasn't. Pull your pants up. You'll just have to come back again if you wanna go all the way." Zoro removed the apron and set it aside, pulling his sleeves back up. He sat pretzel-style and untied the ball gag from around his neck. Luffy watched him remove all the objects and pulled his pants back up, fastening up his buttons and belt. He sat next to Zoro and gazed up at the ceiling.

"So was it like pooping backwards?"

"You're _still_ on that?"

"Well, I'm curious! You made it look like it hurt." Zoro shook his head and laid back on the bed. He was done for the day; he would have to let Daz know that.

"No, it's very different." At least he guessed it was.

"Huh… that's weird. Ah, do you think I can come back again? Maybe we can try finding more cool stuff in another room!"

"I wouldn't mind that." Luffy had been one of his…well better johns. Who would Zoro be to say no. "Did you want to stay in here?"

"Nah, I think I rather be out there with other people now. It's kinda boring here when there's nothing else cool in here. Maybe we can find Ace instead?"

"Uh… sure." He was hoping to head straight to his room. "I don't exactly like this room very much." Luffy rose to his feet and held a hand out for Zoro to take. He smiled, showing his white shining teeth. Zoro reached out for Luffy's hand and grabbed onto his wrist. Luffy pulled Zoro up and was ready to head out. _I think I can get used to this kid's company._


	7. Impossible Things Are Possible

This chapter's a bit weird to me. I would've never gotten it done if not been for aechfic's amazing reviews. I seriously felt waaaaay too down in the dumps to continue and I apologize for the long wait. Then again, school's back up and my work is very time consuming. AND i have things I hope to draw/read. Luckily, this week is less busy. I'll do my best to get the next chapter done as soon as possible! Thank you everyone for your support. I never thought this fic would get so many...readers. I mean seriously. aechfic, ... I want to send YOU my hugest THANK YOU. If not been for your encouraging words, this chapter would still be unfinished.

So I apologize if it seems a bit off. And I apologize for the lateness. I hope you all enjoy. A little Nami/Sanji goin' on.

Disclaimer: Not my characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.

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><p><em>Snip! Snip!<em> The fire came to life, burning the end of the cigarette. Flipping the top back on, he fished for his pants and set the lighter back into his pocket. He laid back on the many pillows behind him. The night had carried on well for the blond. He was completely satisfied with the show, meeting The Princess—who turned out to be a real gem—then had amazing sex with his favorite courtesan. All in a night's work, he thought happily. He turned over to Lady Orange who was now sitting up, rubbing her arm. He glanced at the odd tattoo she bore on her left shoulder, still unsure what the object or objects were. He wanted to ask, but he kept to himself.

The Lady seemed unsettled, even after what they had just done. Her voice, her movements, all seemed a bit rigid this night. Something was bothering her. He sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to him with an unsure smile. He removed his cigarette from his lips and moved closer to her.

"Something troubling you?" He asked and held her close. She only responded with the turn of the head—away from him. "You know you can talk to me, my lady."

"Oh, how gentlemen-like of you." She sounded oddly sarcastic. What was wrong?

"Mademoiselle… I mean every word of that. You're not yourself tonight. Was it due to The Princess?"

"This has nothing to do with her. None of this does." What did she mean? He gave her a moment and let her go. He took his cigarette and inhaled the nicotine. Women needed time to answer these things; they are sensitive on personal topics. He tried thinking of things to say but came up with nothing. "Can you please put out that damn cigarette? It smells." He instantly plucked it away from his mouth and put the cig out. He tossed the remains in a nearby trash.

"Ah, Miss, you're not yourself today." She turned towards him and shook her head. She smiled and then kissed his cheek.

"You barely know me. But no, I'm not the same accepting person I am when with you. Just a few things are causing a bit of unrest around here." He was curious, so he asked.

"Is your boss making you do something unfair?" He propped his head onto hers. She scoffed and patted his leg.

"You're asking too many questions. But I suppose I can tell you since you don't just up and walk away after sex."

"I could never leave you in such a state unless you tell me you're alright."

"Don't I know it," She sighed and leaned forward, cupping her face into her hands. She then sat back up and turned to him. "If you're very interested, then bark like a dog for me." She smiled slyly.

"Arf." He smiled back.

"Jesus Christ. Your obedience is terrifying. No matter. I much rather you listen to me, than you hit me. "

"I could never hit you. I'd do anything for you." She sneered, rolling her eyes in total disbelief.

"I'd like to see you do something impossible for me then." Sanji gave her a stern look.

"Anything, I said."

"Yeah, right." She rubbed her shoulder, looking down at the bed sheets. "If you could do the impossible, I'd ask it of you now, but I'm sure you'd never be interested." Her eyes gradually made their way to his. Her amber brown eyes seemed to shine more than they usually did. He nodded in her direction, reaching to take her hand.

"Do you…want me to take you from here?" Again, she chortled.

"Take me? Of course not. I actually like my place here."

"You…do? But I'm sure you deal with… horrible customers, maybe ever horrible—"

"I'm fine where I am. I brought myself her purposely. Lady Fleur took me in as soon as I showed on this doorstep. She treats me like a queen, as she does for all the girls. She protects us and if someone is bothering us, she'll take care of it. She's the greatest person I've met in this shit town. I'm glad to be under her wing. Too many low-life assholes that lurk these streets, but they're willing to pay for sex which causes easy money for me." Sanji gulped, not really wanting to believe that Lady Orange was completely _fine_ in such a horrendous environment. "Don't give me that look. I'm being serious."

The blond turned from her and swayed, not sure he was on the same level as she was. He was aware that Lady Fleur had been a generous woman. She once protected even him before when a much bigger customer came in making trouble. Her and her subordinate, Franky, showed the man out of the place and banned him from coming back. She allowed Sanji to have free drinks for the rest of the night and apologized for the inconvenience. The woman was also classy, never forcing her girls to do anything they wouldn't want to. She allowed them to be their own boss in the business field. If they wanted to walk around naked, they could. If they were comfortable with clothes on, then they kept theirs on. If they didn't want to get paid for sex, they didn't have to, at least for a certain amount of time. She made it clear of finances, also telling her girls to please the men extra if they weren't up for intercourse at that time. From this system, she was able to create one of the most endearing team of prostitutes that were healthy and somewhat happy at the very least about their lifestyle. Sanji wouldn't think of leaving in such a merciful setting.

"It's someone else I'm worried about." Sanji perked to attention and stared directly at her. She had been looking down, gripping her wrists. He wanted to let her know he was listening, but wasn't sure if she was going to speak anymore. "I…"

"Lady…" he said under his breath. Her grip tightened around her wrists.

"I can't help him. Lady Fleur can't help him either… "A_ man?_ He wasn't so sure about this, but anything for Lady Orange, he reminded himself. "That stupid… Crocodile!" She stressed the named with hatred. Shaking her head vigorously she added, "It's all because of him that he's been in so much pain! And Zoro too!" Who was Zoro? Sanji had questions, but the Lady didn't seem finished just yet. "I can't believe they have to deal with someone so cruel. It's not a way to live…"

"Who is this guy you're talking about? Th-The one who's…" She looked Sanji dead in the eye. She frowned for a moment and then glared.

"Do you mean Crocodile?" She questioned, sounding as if she were about to assassinate him. Sanji shivered and just nodded. _I meant the one in need…_

"I can only say he's one of the largest assholes I've ever met. I hate him. I hate him so much I wish I could just…just!" She growled and made unknown motions with her hands. This was frustration that Sanji hadn't seen before. "He is the kind of guy you DON'T want to work under! The clear foil of Lady Fleur. He's vile, disgusting and a sadistic. He makes Zoro and the others do embarrassing things on stage! He abuses them and is totally unfair to them!"

"Is Zoro the one in trouble?" he asked with a bit of caution. She rolled her eyes.

"You're not listening are you?" He nodded.

"I am!"

"Then you know that Zoro is, but he's not who I was talking about." Sanji had a hard time keeping up already, but he nodded anyways. "No, but Crocodile is just one of the worst people in the world. I hate horrible scum like him. Did you know he beats those guys to nothing if they don't 'obey' him?" She questioned, placing his palms on her knees and leaning as far to Sanji as she could. He blinked and remembered seeing the hooked man stomping on some poor soul earlier and taking it in to the building.

"I…believe I saw him…doing that earlier." The Lady's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.

"Did you do anything to stop him? Did you see what the guy looked like? Was he small? Did he have—"

"I was too far away to see who it was. I just know the hooked man was… hurting someone in an alley and when he noticed my friends and I, he stopped and left." The Lady's eyes began to water. She moved back to sitting up straight and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"See? He's a beast. I can't believe no one's done anything about his cruel acts." Sanji felt regret for not stepping in and doing something about Crocodile's beating. He began to regret not allowing Ace to have let Luffy charge in and kick the man's ass. Was tonight's show really worth it? "I hope Usopp's okay…"

"Usopp?"

"That's him. He's been here for only a year at the most. He's supposed to be hitting eighteen very soon. He and Zoro came here at different times, but for the same reason. They needed money and a place to stay, and got stuck at this place, unable to escape." Did she want him to help both of those guys out, or just this Usopp character? "From what Zoro tells me, he's gone through the worst of the abuse because he's the youngest on their side. I don't think he knew exactly what he was signing up for when he first came…but he hasn't been very talkative at all as the year went on. The first couple of days, he was a bit to himself, but he opened up when Zoro helped him get settled in. He was a chatter box in some ways, but was very quiet around Crocodile. I met him a couple weeks after he settled in and we had fun talking together.

"I remember when we were invited over to the transgender prostitution home for a week, we had so much fun. It was like a huge vacation, thanks to Mr. Iva's kindness. Usopp laughed so much, and Zoro had a great time too. When we came back, things just got worse. I noticed Usopp had a lot more bruises on his face, Zoro stopped informing me of the things that happened. He was angrier and Usopp just got more and more quiet." The Lady cupped her face and sobbed. She took deep breaths in between the cries and wiped her face. "Zoro would just say 'it's nothing. We can handle it.' and Usopp wouldn't do anything. He would just stand there, with a dead look in his eyes. He just wasn't there any more whenever we were able to get together. Usopp doesn't belong here! He shouldn't be in such a place that's stripped him of his true self. I just want him to be taken away."

Sanji reached for the Lady and took her into his arms. He cradled her as she began to weep. She held onto his arms and nuzzled his chest. He wasn't able to think up anything to say to help calm her. He couldn't imagine knowing someone for that long and seeing them literally be stripped of their personality. This Usopp must've been a frail person if he had easily became so distant. The Zoro guy just sounded like someone that was able to take what came to him. He understood where the Lady was coming from. He felt for both of the guys, not sure how he would be able to help out at all in this situation.

"Are they on the other side?" He asked and pet the Lady's hair. She sniffled and raised herself from his grasp.

"You mean on the men's side? Yeah, they cater to the gay community." Sanji shivered. Did that mean he'd have to go on that side? He didn't like the Men's part of the House due to the odd thoughts he would get. Thoughts that made his skin crawl and oddly arouse him at the same time. His visits on that side were to retrieve Ace so they could leave. At times he would find himself watching the show or just watching a few men from afar, somewhat fantasizing things he didn't want to believe he was capable of. "Usopp doesn't really come out to the crowd much from what I know, because he's always hurt in some way. Zoro on the other hand doesn't come out very often, but when he does, it's often special. He's considered one of the specialties because his green hair… and possibly due to his ethnicity. Zoro's stage name is Bushido, while Usopp's is Armadillo."

"Bushido would mean…"

"Samurai. He sports a samurai costume. He's Japanese, so Crocodile thought it would be cute to put him in one." She huffed.

"And Armadillo?"

"…That one…," she rubbed her shoulder again and tilted her head to the other side. "Because Usopp hides. He's vulnerable and easily frightened. You know what an armadillo looks like when it hides, right?"

"It rolls into a ball."

"Exactly. Usopp's done that a couple times in front of Crocodile, so he gave him that name. Zoro told me once that some guys over there thought it was 'adorable' or some shit. We both wanted to hand those jerks asses to them." It made sense, but it sounded a bit degrading. Sanji couldn't bring himself to hear any more depressing stuff. He sighed and placed his hands onto the Lady's shoulders.

"I'll get them out." He said plainly and gave her a forced smiled. She looked unconvinced and brushed his hands off of her.

"I doubt you mean that. I just want Usopp to leave. Zoro, too, wishes for that."

"Then I'll get him out."

"Just because I asked? Or because you actually feel for him?" Sanji already knew that lying wasn't the best way to go.

"You asked. You said I couldn't do the impossible, well I want to prove to you I can."

"Don't. I don't want you getting dragged into this. Also, I rather you help him if you actually WANT to help him."

"I honestly do. I have a feeling he was the one getting beat-up earlier…and I feel stupid for not charging in as soon as I saw it happening." The Lady stared at him for a long while. She studied his expression and smiled to herself. She caressed his cheek and shook her head again.

"Reckless. It's impossible… and if you saved him, you can't come back here." Sanji felt his heart sink. He didn't want it to be that drastic. He wanted to help Lady Orange and prove to her how much she meant to him. He didn't care of her job, he just wanted her to be happy, but to sacrifice ever seeing her again for some kid he knew nothing about? He felt like an asshole for already not feeling up to helping out this mystery kid. He tried to keep a smile on his face, though it was hard to fake it.

"Maybe I can do something. I don't think it's impossible. What does he look like?" The Lady was surprised, though she slid her hand onto his cheek and stared at him for what seemed like five minutes. Sanji couldn't help but feel uncomfortable though he had a reason to not be smiling now. The Lady seemed to be studying his eyes, or at least his right eye—his left being covered by a large tuff of his hair. She then scooted closer to him and set her hands on his knees.

"He's… well he's probably the smallest one you'll find in there. He's tan, has black, crinkly hair and a very long nose. You'll know who he is. His looks are rather unique." Sanji felt himself groaning in his mind. _Long nose? What the hell…_ "But, I don't believe anything will happen just by giving you that information. Anyways, I need to get going to check on him. You can leave the money on the night stand over there. Someone will come pick it up." The Lady then stood up and hopped off the bed. She fished for her clothes that she had tossed aside upon coming into the room. Sanji watched her and sighed. His time with her felt much shorter. It may have been due to all the commotion he was caught up in earlier, or maybe the talk of this Usopp kid just drained the time away. He too got up from the bed and followed suite, getting his own clothing on.

The two dressed in silence, facing away from one another. Sanji's mind had quickly forgotten about the Usopp kid. He wasn't looking forward to helping the kid out, even though he had put up a show of saying how he could do anything. He didn't want to up and lie to Lady Orange, and just say something just to make himself look good. He wanted to show her how much he cared, but this just didn't seem right. He wanted to do something for her, directed at her. Saving some kid from an abusive boss wasn't his problem. He couldn't do anything about it, and that was something he was damn sure of. Lady Orange was right that it was impossible, but he had stated earlier that it wasn't. He was digging up his own grave… did the Lady find that he would actually try? He had to ask, but he wanted to lead her to the answer without questioning.

"What I'm worried about most… is the show he's scheduled to put on." Lady Orange stated. She turned to Sanji, fully clothed and ready to leave out the room. He turned back to her, buttoning up his shirt. "Usopp's never been put up for display yet, and that's kept him safe from most of the customers."

"Wait, if he's been here for almost a year, then why hasn't he—?"

"Crocodile does things differently than Lady Fleur. Instead of showing any new employees as soon as they come in, he'll wait until he feels the new kid can go out and earn money. Since Usopp isn't exactly "whore material", it's taken him much longer to get on stage. But it's not always like that. Sometimes, Crocodile will bring someone on stage just to humiliate them."

"And this is because he thinks Usopp's ready?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. I think he just wants to watch him suffer more." Sanji couldn't help but feel bad again.

"That's terrible. And it's been almost a full year? I can't see how this kid's survived so long." He reached into his pocket and felt around for his box of cigarettes.

"It's because he's strong. If Usopp wasn't, he'd be dead already." The Lady gave Sanji a slight smile. _Strong? _In what sense did she mean by this? That he was able to with stand all the torture and still live, or the fact that he can take a few more punches than most? "Anyways, I suppose we're done for the night. I need to go out and fish for some more money before Lady Fleur closes us down. She wanted to allow us a break for tomorrow so we're closing early." Sanji couldn't help but hang his head slightly. He hated this point where he had to leave her. He hated thinking of her having to go through men for money, not knowing whether or not she had customers that weren't at all gentle and pushed her around. He had hoped if he met any man that did that to her, he'd be able to kick his face in. He grumbled to himself and picked up his tie then slipped on his shoes. Stuffing the tie into his pocket, he turned towards the Lady and nodded. "Thanks for listening to me ramble. I really don't talk about those things much!" Sanji was pretty sure she wasn't able to. It made him feel extra special that they were able to chat about some personal things, such as the Lady's encounters with other courtesans, her days when she wasn't working, and info on people she's met. The only thing he's never heard her say was her real name. He longed to hear it, but she had refused to get too close.

He understood her reasons but remained forever curious. He longed to at least know what her name was, but had given up a long time ago to find out. He remembered going from courtesan to courtesan, asking if they knew Lady Orange's name. All of them refused to give it to him, for they knew that she wanted to be known for her stage name and nothing more. Standing behind the Lady, Sanji placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them lightly.

"You be careful, okay?" he whispered and slipped his arms around her chest and hugged her tightly. She moved her head away from him, being used to this routine.

"I'll be alright. I always will be." _She's such a strong woman. I can't help but get scared anyways._ He let her go, trying to keep himself relaxed. She opened the door and walked out the room. She didn't wait for the other, and went down the stairs rather hastily. He took this moment to set the money he owed on the night stand. He stared at the paper money and frowned to himself. Sanji then made his way over to the door and slowly closed the door behind him, watching her disappear into the crowd. _Do I annoy her?_ He didn't like this thought any better than the worry that frequently came up. He had to clear his mind, for now the night was over for him. Reaching back into his pocket, he pulled out his cigarette box. _She told me to not smoke earlier… Normally she never gives a shit. Maybe this whole 'Usopp' thing is really bugging her._ It wasn't his business, but she had already given him all kinds of information as if she had a tiny bit of belief that he could save her friend. He wasn't sure what he could even do, not to mention he wasn't going to go anywhere near the "Men's House" of all places. He couldn't stand going in there…having to suffer with awkward fantasies that came to mind. _No, not going back in there._ There had to be another way to see this kid if he was going to do anything.

Sanji sighed, opening up his box of fresh cigarettes and pulled one out. _I'm probably going to be here for a while. Ace tends to take for fuckin' ever when he's over there. _He took out his lighter and lit up his cig. Maybe another drink would do for him, he thought. Cruising down the stairs, he stopped and groaned. He had to drive back home which took around thirty minutes.

"Shit. What to do, what to do." Maybe another girl to chat with wasn't too bad of an idea. He had thought of talking to the Princess again, but she seemed to be busy with a group of guys who didn't really look like the kind of guys you'd want to have a normal conversation with. They didn't seem to be any trouble, and she was laughing here and there. He passed them up and made his way over to the bar and pulled out his wallet to look through it to see how much money he had left. "Barely twenty belli to spare." He decided to save it up, closing his wallet and putting it back in his pocket. Passing the door to the "Men's House", the door swung open, causing Sanji to stop and stare to see who the new comer, or new comers were. "Well, what do ya know."

A green haired man stood in the door way, holding the knob. He looked around and grimaced. Behind him was Luffy, peeking over his shoulder and waved to Sanji when noticing him.

"Oi! Sanji!" He yelled and in between the green haired man and the door. Sanji waved back, wondering what had gone on for the younger companion. "Hey! Have you seen Ace?"

"No. He was with you last. What makes you think I know?" Sanji smiled. He looked up to see the green haired man had joined them. He raised a brow, skimming the man for his "samurai" get-up. He looked funny to the blond, but he guessed maybe there was some weird sexual connection to his costume. He shivered, not liking the thought. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Bushido! But I like calling him Zoro." Luffy replied, patting the other's shoulder. The man twitched and swatted Luffy's hand away.

"You're not supposed to tell my name to others!"

"Ah, but why not? I think your name's cool!" _They sound like they've known each other for a long time. _"Anyways, we were looking for Ace and can't seem to find his room. I think Zoro got lost. Told ya we should've gone back upstairs!" Zoro rolled his eyes and pointed back at the door.

"We should get going then. Your brother's probably looking for you in the other room."

"Yeah, you're right. Sanji come with us! We can find Ace faster that way." _Go in there of all places? Haha, hell no._

"No thanks. I'll stay here and wait for you to come back. You and your friend here can probably get to know each other a little more, you know?"

"Yeah, but when we find Ace, we'll be going right? If we have to find you after Ace, it'll take much longer! And I'm getting hungry again, so I wanna hurry up and get ready to leave soon!" Luffy whined. He pulled on Sanji's sleeve, still urging him to come along.

"Sorry, Luffy. But I like looking at the pretty girls that pass by, not bulky men in leather. You two can go over there instead and I'll wait here." Sanji tried to pry Luffy's fingers from his sleeve. After breaking free from Luffy's grasp, Sanji stepped back a couple of steps and brushed his sleeves. "Just go get Ace and I'll stay here." Luffy began to pout. He turned towards the door then to Sanji again.

"You really don't wanna help us? What if you start wandering off and we have to find you next?"

"Like I said, I'll stay right here." Sanji then stomped his foot on the floor. He smiled, hoping that would get Luffy to just give up. The younger boy didn't seem to budge—what was wrong with his persuasion today? He noticed the green haired guy seeming a bit fidgety. He didn't like the way this guy was giving both him and Luffy impatient looks. _What's this guy's problem? Jeez, is he just impatient or…_It finally snapped in. Sanji blinked, giving the green haired man another glance and began pointing his finger at him. "Y-You're… Zoro! Lady Orange mentioned you! Shit, how could I forget?" Zoro perked in Sanji's direction, giving him his full attention.

"You know Na… Lady Orange?" _Na…? Her name starts with an N!_

"Y-Yeah, I do! I'm a regular of hers… she was talking about you before we departed. You and this other guy…erm, Armadillo or something." Zoro frowned, taking a step closer to Sanji.

"What did she say?" He nearly demanded. Sanji returned the frown, not liking his tone. He huffed, but spoke anyways.

"She was telling me how she was upset with the conditions he's working under, is all." _Don't need to tell him everything. _Zoro turned away from the blond, having a moment to ponder on why she would even mention the long nosed kid to this guy.

"Why was she telling _you_ about him?" Was it that big of a deal? Sanji glared at the other and grit the butt of the cigarette. _What's he using that pissy tone for?_

"She wasn't feeling too good. So she told me what was troubling her. Problem?" Why not challenge this guy? He didn't seem intimidating, not to mention they were around the same size. Zoro had reacted to the obvious sarcasm within Sanji's voice. He couldn't help but growl.

"Nah, it's not. I'm just confused as to why she'd ever tell our business to customers. They don't need to be involved in this." His reason, in Sanji's eyes, wasn't at all enough to cover for that attitude.

"She can tell me whatever she wants to."

"Are you trying to start something?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Hey, guys! We need to find Ace!" Luffy butted in. He got in between the two and began waving his arms to grab their attention. The two older men turned their heads in opposite directions, huffing simultaneously. Luffy grabbed both their wrists and pulled them towards the door he and Zoro had come from. "Good! Let's go see where he is!"

"Luffy! Let go! I said I don't want to go in there!" There was no stopping the younger one. He let Zoro's arm go and opened the door. No way was he going to let Sanji slip past this. He shoved the blond inside and hurried in after. Zoro went in last, closing the door right after. Sanji turned back to the other two, scowling at them. "I'm not staying in here!"

"Too bad! We're already here, so help us find Ace!" Luffy turned Sanji forward, pressing onto the older man's back and pushing him further into the "Men's House". _I'm gonna kill this kid! I'ma kill him!_ It was no use; he was already in the middle of the chamber, right under the glass chandelier that hung from the ceiling. He gave up on digging his heels into the floor. The aroma of this place was different from the "Lady's House". It smelled of cologne, sweat, and alcohol. Sanji's stomach began to churn. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to relive weird fantasies, and neither did he want to see men walking around in leather. He just didn't want any part of the "Men's House". Luffy stopped pushing Sanji when he had finally began walking on his own. He noticed the blond slumping forward with his hands in his pockets. He was grumbling something under his breath, and looking down at his shoes. Luffy tilted his head as far down as he could while walking beside him, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of his smoking friend.

"What are you so mad about? You really don't like this place or something?" Sanji quickly spun his head in Luffy's direction, hissing his name.

"Luffy… I told you… I don't want to be in here!" The boy remained unmoved. He then patted Sanji's back and grinned.

"Aw, we'll get out of here quick soon as we find Ace!" If there was anything Sanji had disliked about this kid, it was his brash actions. Even when someone clearly doesn't want to do something, if Luffy wanted them to do it, he'll make them do it. It seemed as though the world revolved around Luffy. _When we get out of here, I'll kick your face in_. "Let's go try searching the rooms again! Zoro, you lead the way!"

Sanji watched as the male courtesan looked around and began walking in some random direction. Was this the right way? Or was he just walking where ever? Luffy trotted after the 'bushido' with Sanji trudging along behind.

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><p>The ending was a bit odd to me... idk. Anyways, hopefully the next chapter will be more satisfying for me to write...<p> 


	8. Temptation to Go Home

Sorry for the long wait. Ahh... Very high thanks to Ewim for reminding me and giving me motivation to finish. This chapter is seen from Marco's POV. It...it was hard writing a character I don't know much about .o.;;; So sorry if he's off. I still love his design though... yeah. Finally getting somewhere.

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><p>The room had gotten quiet. He was already used to the narcolepsy the other had been cursed with. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Marco looked down at the limp body below. Ace had his head lying on Marco's stomach, his arms wrapped around the other's waist. He lied at an angle, his legs tucked underneath him. Marco pet Ace's hair, shaking his head. <em>As to be expected. He falls asleep during mid-conversation<em>. He sighed. Another attempt to bring him back home. It's not that he didn't want to go back, for he missed his Pops dearly. He just needed to support himself so that a way the old man didn't have to. Pops had enough on his hands, and he didn't want to burden him at all, but Ace kept coming in hopes of bringing Marco back home. What good would it do if Marco was unable to get a job?

He was fine where he stayed. All he could do was worry about the old man's condition. He wanted to help out in some sort of way, and this was by far the easiest and fastest way to make a lot of money. His fingers began to twitch from the strands tickling his skin. He looked over at the door, as if he were expecting someone to come inside. _I want to see everyone… but only after I make enough to help support them._ He knew that would take a much longer time than anticipated. If only Ace just accepted his decision and stopped trying to convince him otherwise.

For all he knew, Ace had scored himself a nice paying job not too long ago. He had a place where he and his younger brother stayed together. The apartment was close to Pop's place, close enough to walk there within ten minutes. Marco had been offered a place there, but he had refused. Ace's kid brother already seemed like a handful from what he's experienced. His visits to their place seemed like a mix with hyperactivity and calmness. The two were such a good combination he felt he would screw up the balance. _I'll come back, Pops. I promise you all that, just let me do my thing and I'll come home soon._

The hours had raced on. Not too long ago, he was just waking up for this day. Now he was sitting with a narcoleptic in his lap. _I suppose we're all done here once he wakes_. Those must've been the magic words. Ace began to stir, rubbing Marco's lower back and pulling at his shirt. He yawned and then let go of the other and stretched.

"Ah… what time is it?" Ace asked and looked up at Marco who was still staring at the door.

"You slept for about five minutes. I think we should go fetch your brother now." Ace blinked, trying to remember what they were even doing. He stood up and looked around the room.

"Oh…right! So you'll come home then, yeah?" _You'll never give up._

"No. I'm staying here till I have an amount of money I'm satisfied with. Maybe try investing in something." Marco too stood up and faced Ace with a calm, smiling face. "Stop worrying about me." Another failed attempt, but that didn't stop Ace. He merely pouted but tapped Marco's shoulder and chuckled.

"Alright fine, but I'm going to keep pestering you either way. Pops is—"

"I know. Please, I don't want to hear what Pops said or anything." _If I did, I wouldn't have a choice, I'd speed right out of this place._ Ace raised a brow.

"You _sure?_ I mean he was really talking about you the other day."

"You're bluffing. I'm not at all interested." _He's most likely lying to me. Does Pops really talk about me…? _

"I can tell you the exact words from his mouth." _I shouldn't fall for this. _

"Nice try, Ace. Let's get going now." Marco walked passed the other, trying his best to refuse any more information. He placed his hand on the knob and turned. Opening the door, Ace called from his spot.

"Pops said he misses you." Way to pull the heartstrings. Marco paused. He turned back to Ace, who had a dorky, hopeful grin on his face. _Anything to get me back huh?_

"He said that?"

"Yeah. He wants you to come visit at the very least." Visit… come visit? If he did that, he'd never want to leave again. It was already hard enough to sneak out and leave without informing anyone where he was going or what his intentions were. If he went back and saw everyone's smiling faces…Pops welcoming glow… it'd be too much to ever come back to this drowsy place. He had to hold himself back, restrain his emotions from getting too out of hand. He was good at doing this… only when it came to his family; it was rather hard to bottle up said feelings.

He had opened his mouth to reply, but nothing seemed to come out. He was thinking up rebuttals to Ace's request, but he was very sure he'd say something completely opposite. He closed his mouth and turned from Ace. He gulped, not liking the unsure feeling. _I want to go back. Pops needs me—_

"I can take you back tonight."

"No… no thanks, Ace. I'm fine, but thanks." _That was close._ Before Ace could say anything else, Marco hurried out of the room to avoid any more temptation. Not long after, Ace came scrambling up behind him.

"Agh, what's gonna make you come back? This isn't the place you belong in!"

"As much as I want to, I can't. Like I said, let me raise up enough money then I'll be back."

"How much are you working for?"

"I'm not telling." Marco huffed. Ace would've surely kept tabs on Marco's goal amount if he was informed, something which would add on to the constant nagging. Wasn't it enough that Ace was helping him reach that goal little by little? His efforts were at least admirable though. Ace had continued to keep talking, telling Marco about how his last day at work was and how Luffy had been doing these days since graduating high school. Though he was partially listening, he couldn't help but think about how the others back home were faring. It had been a couple years since last seeing them, since last hearing Pop's laugh. Letting out a very exasperated sigh, he stopped as soon as Ace had stopped talking.

"Hey! Luffy's here with the other two!" Ace said finally and hurried over to his brother and the two accompanying him. Marco watched as they reunited and spoke amongst themselves. He noticed that Bushido was just watching the brothers' talk, while the blond with them had just kept his head down the entire time. _Sanji was his name… Oh, right. _The poor guy seemed so uncomfortable it hurt to watch. Marco moved closer so he could at least hear what they were saying.

"Soooo, I see you had a good time?" Ace had asked Luffy, who was beaming. The answer seemed pretty obvious from the way the kid bounced as he spoke.

"Of course! I want to come back again." Luffy had turned to Zoro. "We should invite Zoro over our place! It'd be so fun!" Ace let out a low laugh.

"That would be up to _Bushido_ here to decide! Of course, you're welcome to come over whenever you're allowed to." Ace gave the green haired man a sweet smile. Zoro had no idea how to react, for this was the first time he had been invited over to someone's place. Even the older brother had the odd vibe radiating from his smile. Not knowing what to say, Zoro merely nodded. Marco chuckled from behind the others. _They won't hurt you, Bushido. Long as you accept the invitation you'll be fine._ Noises of unsettlement crept over Marco's shoulder. He turned towards the leaning blond who had been murmuring under his breath. _Right…_

"You're a friend of the D brothers." He began. The other blond raised his head. He was extremely troubled no doubt. "Nice to meet you, I'm Phoenix. I'm a friend of Ace's." The other just nodded and avoided eye contact. Did the atmosphere get to him? Marco couldn't help but notice the random peeks the other had gave him. They came as very quick glances in Marco's direction, skimming him up and down, which were followed by harsh, whispering curses. He seemed confused and pissed off at himself for…what? He had no intention of asking, but it became somewhat annoying that this guy couldn't make up his mind on what to look at. Just before he had any chance to ask what his problem was, Ace spoke up, announcing to the group that they were ready to leave.

"Alright! Tonight was a good night! Well, we'll see you Mar—I mean Phoenix. You as well, Bushido! Let's get going Luffy, Sanji." Sanji lift his head and nodded quickly, Luffy throwing up an arm and chiming along in agreement. "You guys can come by anytime though! Phoenix can clue you in on how to contact us, Bushido." Zoro nodded again, giving a less awkward acknowledgement. Ace turned back to Marco one last time and gave him the familiar face that said 'One more chance to come with us.'

"Have a good night you guys." Marco replied and waved as they began trudging away. The two brothers waved back, Sanji on the other hand had already turned away from them and began walking. He stopped for a moment, leading Marco to believe he was just waiting for the other two. The blond turned towards Marco, walking back towards him and began speaking in a low, shaky voice.

"You know Armadillo?" He asked looking to the side. He had pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. _Armadillo? What does this guy want with that kid?_

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"When does he perform next?" _Pushy…_

"Next week at the most. Someone told you about him or…"

"That doesn't matter, I was just curious. You have a specific date?" Marco paused. Sure he knew the day it was scheduled, but he had a feeling it would be delayed again if Crocodile was going to blow up every damn day. Not to mention, this guy just didn't seem to be in his right mind at this moment. He did sound a bit worried, but it was probably for another reason. "Oi, do you?"

"Supposedly Wednesday. I can't say it's definite, but you can come that day and see if it happens then."

"Wh-What do you mean by that?"

"Our boss likes to mess up plans a little too often. I would advise you come every day of the week just to see." Marco shrugged. He noticed Bushido watching from the sidelines, glaring at Sanji. "If you're really desperate that is. What's your connection to the kid?"

"I… Nothing to be honest. I just heard about him from someone else." _Well that doesn't help me understand why you want to see him. Best to be skeptical about this guy, especially if Bushido is glaring at him like that. _"Well, thank you for the information." With that, Sanji caught up with the brothers who hadn't even noticed they were missing their third party member. _Hmm… This is completely new. Bushido seems upset about it too._ Instead of worrying about this now, he would ask later after the night was over.


	9. Prince Charming

Bwah, I have my motivation back slightly, so here's another Chapter.

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><p>The night had finally ended around two in the morning. Customers on both sides had finally left the entire building, satisfied by the night's nocturnal treasures. On the men's side of the building, things seemed abnormally quiet. It was more eerie than anything else. Outside of his door, he had been too afraid to leave from his corner to see if everything was alright. It didn't matter to him, as long as the people he cared for were alright. Bundled up in the farthest corner of the room, farthest from the door, he held his legs close, watching the door with an intense, worried gaze. Anyone could be coming in, but his most frequent visitor was what he had worried about the most.<p>

His face hurt excessively. He wanted to rub his cheeks, but it would only worsen the pain. The treatment he had received from Zoro and Marco had really brought up his spirits; though as soon as they left, they had crashed back down to the cruel reality of the situation. Even escaping to some made-up world of epic adventures, amazing warriors, and dragons couldn't help him forget. His negative mind told him there had been no use in trying, but he allowed his last bit of optimism to take over.

He tried to imagine himself on a journey to find a magician, one that could grant any wish to those that were deemed worthy. His wish would be to wake up at home in bed, with his alarm clock going off as usual. He wanted all this to be some silly nightmare he sadly experienced after watching some stupid thriller movie that dealt with prostitution and a really horrible bad guy that was overly abusive to his subordinates. He had wished, prayed, mentally begged all of this to just poof into non-existence. Hell, he wouldn't mind if he had been the one to just poof out of this situation for good, whether dead or alive.

_I'm such an idiot for coming here._ He was warned a couple of times, more than once by Lady Fleur and Zoro. They told him that it was dangerous here, that he wouldn't be having fun giving up his body for money, nor would he like working under someone as abusive as Crocodile. They warned him, over and over, and over. Why didn't he stop himself? Why had he been so desperate to make money so fast? Being fresh out of high school, he could've easily gotten himself a job if he tried hard enough. He could've left the town with Kaya, who had kindly offered for him to stay with her. Then again, her butler didn't exactly like his presence anywhere near Kaya at all. It wouldn't have worked either way. _I probably deserve this. Otherwise it would've worked out a different way. This is my fate and I deserve it._

He couldn't help the involuntary twitch within his fingers. He moved his hands onto the top of his head, scratching through his damp, curly hair. He hadn't realized his actions, unconsciously scratching his scalp too hard, nearly drawing blood. _I deserve this!_ The doorknob had begun to rattle. He froze, pulling his hands down towards his face. Wincing from the pain, he looked down at the floor, scrambling for his mask. _Where is it? Sogeking! Where are you? Save me! He's here!_ Finally finding the wooden mask, the door had sung open. He whimpered, turning towards the figure standing in the doorway.

Relief washed over him as he found Zoro walking in and closing the door shut behind him. He let go of the mask, clambering to his feet and ran over to his friend.

"Zoro!" He exclaimed happily and hugged the other tightly. "You scared me! Knock next time won't you? Ow… my face!" He let go, rubbing his cheeks lightly. Zoro shook his head.

"Be careful next time. Did he come in yet?" From the younger one's sudden frightened expression, Zoro had figured not yet. "That's good. Are you feeling any better?" The two sat down on the very slim mattress that rested upon a creaky old bed frame.

"I hate this bed so much… but I'm okay, Zoro! H-How about you? Did… it go okay?" He was more talkative which made Zoro much more relaxed.

"It was better than usual. Enough about that though. What the hell did you do to get beaten like that?" He pointed to the kid's face. The younger one had paused, trying to remember just what he did to set Crocodile off. "Oi, Usopp!"

"Ah… I… I didn't do something he told me to do. I-I got scared."

"Of what?"

"Of… the customer. He was huge… I thought he was going to hurt me or something. B-But Crocodile said…I had to entertain that guy cause he p-paid really good money for it. I-I couldn't though… I got so scared I just…" The kid's lips were quivering. He kept shaking his head before he said anything else. "Then I was pulled away from the guy… I thought it was Daz, but I smelled a cigar. That's when I was completely terrified and I nearly blacked out."

"And then…"

"Yeah…" They had remained silent for a moment. Zoro had begun cracking his knuckles and murmuring death threats under his breath. Usopp had patted the other's hands trying to calm him. "I-It's alright! I've almost completely forgotten it anyways! Besides, I should've just followed orders and dealt with it!" A glare was shot in his direction. Usopp began to fidget, rubbing his legs as he tried to think of something a bit more positive to talk about.

"You shouldn't even be here in this damn place."

"But I deserve it, so-so it's alright!"

"Where did you get that from? How the hell do you deserve to be practically tortured in this shit hole?"

"O-Oi, don't get so angry! I was… just saying I…never mind! It's all over now!" Zoro became even more annoyed with Usopp's fake laughter. He would choke the kid if he wasn't still hurting. "I had a good dream last night! It's been a really long time since I've had any of those. In this one I was flying over the whole city, and you and Nami were there with me! We landed in this field of flowers and wow, they smelled so amazing, we just laid there and looked up at the clouds. You fell asleep though and then Nami and I just made out shapes and such from the clouds." Zoro hadn't been listening. He was more focused on how to kill Crocodile, either very fast or extremely slow. Maybe he would let Usopp have a try at beating the old man in some way to satisfy both their ever growing hatred for their boss. He smirked to himself while imagining his sword slicing right through the Croc's ball sack. Usopp poked Zoro's shoulder, asking what he was grinning about.

"It's nothing. Your dream though, it sounds really nice. Wish we could be…doing whatever the hell we were doing in it." Usopp pouted.

"You weren't even listening! I said we were flying—"

"Yeah, I got it." _So rude! _"Actually, I wanted to tell you something. I want you to look out for someone." Usopp jumped from the statement. He began to shivered and huddled forward. "Don't worry, I won't let him get to you, but there's this blond guy. Nami knows him, he's like her most frequent john, but he's been asking about you for some reason."

"E-Eh? Why me? Was she talking to him about me?" Usopp couldn't help but blush. _This is awkward. What is Nami doing talking about me to other people? Is she recommending me or something?_

"Well, he says she was. Apparently she was explaining what you were going through. I don't know if I believe that guy though." _Why would she tell our business like that? She's going to get others sucked into our horrible situation and then people will get hurts and-! _"Just keep a look out, okay?"

"Wait, what's this guy's name? Nami's told me a few things about her customers. I don't really pay attention though."

"Uh… Sanji. Yeah his name's Sanji."

"OI!"

"What?" Zoro leaned back; Usopp had begun flailing and bouncing around.

"I know who you're talking about!" _Nami described that guy to me countless times!_

"You do? What she say about him?"

"Ah, she said a lot of good things about the guy. First she described that he looks sort of like a prince in a way; a dazzling smile, blond shiny hair, bedroom eyes, though that's not 'prince charming' material, and that he was very fashionable. He speaks like a prince too. He sounds like a really cool person! Nami said that he was one of her nicest customers, but he's a bit too into her. She also said she was really happy to have a caring customer like that, but he could be annoying at times with his advances. Then she got into detail about uh, more _sensual_ things he's capable of. But jeez, I told her she was lucky to have a customer like that. Someone who's really sweet and gentle, ya know?" _I would kill for someone that's really nice to me like that._ Zoro gave off an unbelieving aura.

"You've got to be kidding me. The guy's already a douchebag if you ask me." Zoro grumbled.

"How so? The guy sounds like a dream come true! I mean, for any girl out there wanting something like that."

"You haven't even seen this guy and you sound like you're crushing on him. Please stop that."

"Hey! I'm not! I-I was just telling you what Nami told me!"

"Even with your face all bruised up, you're still beet red." Zoro chuckled as Usopp punched his shoulder. _You can't like someone you've never met! She could just be speaking highly of him because she likes him that way, not me!_ "Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry. Just be careful of that guy okay? He even asked Phoenix when your next show was." Usopp had paused, blinking a few times and shivered immensely.

"Wh-Why is that? Does he want to help me or something?"

"I don't know. I mean he made a big deal about coming onto the Men's side of this building so I doubt he'll be paying for entertainment." _This doesn't make sense. _There had been a knock at the door, the two swirling their heads towards the entrance. "Hold on, I'll get it."

Zoro then rose from the creaky old bed and opened the door. Nami had been standing there about to knock a second time.

"Ah! Zoro!" The other nodded in her direction. Behind him, Usopp had been hopping to see over his shoulder to get a glimpse at Nami. "Usopp!" She cried, pushing past Zoro to get to her long-nosed friend. "You're okay! Oh, God! Your face! That bastard Crocodile did this to you, didn't he? You were the one getting hurt earlier? Oh, I'll punch that guy's face in when I get the chance!" She hugged the almost confused boy, squeezing his shoulders. He patted her back and smiled a bit. _That must've been why she told that Sanji guy about me. She was really worried about me_. In a way, he didn't want for her to tell others of his suffering. He deserved it after all.

"I'm alright, Nami. Thanks for caring."

"You say that with no feeling! You're my friend, of course I care!" She let him go and examined his face. He could see that she was close to tears either from the sight of his beaten face or the thought of what Crocodile had done. "God, I hate him! Zoro, why don't you go shove a sword up his ass?" She questioned in a dark tone.

"I would if I had some. And that's not the only thing I'd do." He replied with an equally sinister voice. Usopp felt a bit frightened by his friends' sudden change in attitude. _I wouldn't mind punching the guy, but Jesus you two!_ "But Nami, I have a question about that Sanji guy." The lady had turned towards him, giving her his full attention. "Why were you talking about Usopp to him?"

"I had let out too much information and he got curious. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. He said he would help me with the impossible."

"That's very vague." Usopp butted in. "What's that got to do with me?" She had turned back to the long-nosed boy, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"I asked him to save you."

"Save _me?_ N-No!"

"Yes! He said he could do the impossible for me by rescuing you, so I'm hoping he can keep his word. I won't blame him if he fails, but I told him if he did succeed, he won't be able to come back here anymore." _The hell is she saying? Saving me of all the guys here is indeed impossible! She's crazy for getting that poor guy mixed in this!_

"Why would you…do that though? Wouldn't you want him getting _you_ out of here?" Usopp started to shiver, Zoro joining the two in utter disbelief that Nami would even go this far to ask a _customer_ to help a courtesan on the male's side of the building.

"I told him already that I'm fine where I am. I like my place in the Lady's House. I told him that the only thing that would make me happy if you got out of here, Usopp. You too, Zoro, but… I'm sure you'd like Usopp to be out of here more than anything as well, right?" The green haired man had faltered in speech but he agreed nonetheless. He just wanted Usopp out of this nightmare, so that a way he could move on with his life. "At least be thankful I even told this guy all of those things! I'm surprised he actually asked about you though. He didn't seem too thrilled when I told him what I wanted." _Well, duh! The guy's straight from what you told me. I wouldn't want to save some male prostitute either!_ _But he did ask Marco about my stupid show. Is he really going that far for someone he doesn't even know? Or is this just to please Nami?_ It hurt in some odd way to know some random stranger was only set on helping him so Nami could be at peace. He appreciated the help and all, but the reason behind it, the intentions as to why just didn't seem like the Prince Charming he had heard about.

_It's only because Nami asked. If she hadn't, nobody would be attempting to save me because they want to._ Fate wouldn't let this Sanji save him, especially if Crocodile was the main problem.

"Did Sanji ask you anything else, Zoro?" the red head perked. Zoro had crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Nah, but he asked Marco when Usopp's next show was." Nami smiled, clapping her hands together.

"He really is trying to pull through! Usopp, you may get out of this place!" _It was only because you asked him to. It's not like he gives a shit about me anyways. This is _your_ Prince Charming. Not mine._ "Oh this is great! I'll have to thank him somehow when I see him again! Maybe get his number so that a way we can keep in contact!" Neither of the guys liked this idea too much. Neither knew Sanji like Nami did, and only Zoro didn't want to know. It was nice the guy seemed a little willing and all and it was good that he had been asking around. They only knew what Nami had experienced with the guy, and that would be mostly how great he is at sex itself. Outside of the whore house, it was impossible to depict how the guy's lifestyle was or how he lives. He could be a criminal, some sort of sick and twisted asshole that only said yes in hopes of getting someone to abuse every day. Maybe the guy was a good listener, but that didn't define his person as a whole. Zoro couldn't help but be extremely skeptical on this whole plan. He had wanted Usopp to get out more than himself, but he wanted to be sure where he was going, how he was getting there and if he was fully prepared with food, water, money and any other essentials. Betting on his freedom from Nami's customer wasn't his idea of a dream escape.

"How can you be sure we can trust this guy one hundred percent? You don't know him _that_ well do you?" Nami shot Zoro an annoyed glance.

"We talk more than anything else. I'm not saying he's the perfect guy, but he's the only one willing. Here, I'll tell you all I know about him if that makes you feel a little better." Her tone switched to sarcastic, giving Zoro a very irritated vibe. "Sanji's almost 20, his birthday is in March. He's a sous-chef at a restaurant called the Baratie. He's been working there since the establishment began, thanks to the owner. He attends a nearby college, majoring in Culinary Arts, though he's taking a break this semester. He's been making very good money nonetheless. He lives in a big two-story house, has a very nice and up-to-date car. I'm sure he'll be able to support another person fully if he had to. He's a chain smoker, but can politely stop if you ask him to. He's a sweetheart to women and can be to certain men if he likes them enough. He's not much of a drinker, but when he does drink, he'll have none other than fine wine and never get himself extremely drunk. He's very talkative if he wants to be. These were the only things he's told me about himself. The fact that he has a nice place to stay, a great paying job, and a lot of money should be enough. Is that convincing enough for you?"

Usopp stared at the red head with amazement. _I surely wouldn't mind living with that guy…if he would let me of course._ Zoro was still disapproving. He scoffed and shrugged, still not thinking this was enough information to send their young friend off with this guy. Sure it sounded nice, but Zoro just couldn't bring himself to agree willingly. _If he did save me, would I be able to even stay with him?_ Living with a cook sounded like an awesome dream. He wouldn't have to make himself sandwiches all the time or cook himself instant noodles anymore. No more microwavable food that tasted as though it was all out of date. He felt his face flush somewhat, smiling at the idea having a nice soft bed to sleep on, or stairs to run up and down on, a nice car to ride in. It all sounded like a total fantasy that was as unreachable as his dragon-slaying adventures within his mind. The only food he knew was disgusting TV dinners, while the only two story building he knew was the whore house, and the only car he's ridden in was the shitty limousine Crocodile owned.

"Aw, lookit you. You're already enjoying the thought of it!" Nami giggled as she pet Usopp's head. He snapped out of his trance and shifted his eyes onto the floor.

"It could never happen though. It's nice to think about, but there's no way that guy would let me stay with him." _Unless I had tits and a vagina, I'm sure I'd be kicked out. Though any place is better than here, even the streets themselves. _

"Don't think that way! Sanji's not _cruel_ towards men. I mean, he is one himself." _No one is cruel to themselves, unless they know they deserve to be._ "He'll let you stay. I'm sure of that." _If you say so, Nami._

"You can't just expect me to sit idly by, and watch this guy just take Usopp away. So what if he has a nice place to stay and such. Is he going to be helpful even outside this place?"

"Oh, Zoro. I know you're worried, but don't be. I'm sure Sanji will be very kind to Usopp. And no, I don't expect you to just sit there and watch. I want you to help Sanji get to Usopp and help them both get out. Maybe have that Phoenix guy help out too!"

"I'm not asking him to get involved. How are we going to do this, since you got this all planned out already." The two stared at each other for a while. Usopp hadn't been paying any attention by this point, for his mind had completely wandered off into the distant fantasy of having a nice, warm, comfy home to relax in. _Breakfast in bed…! Television! The freedom to walk outside whenever I feel!_

"Usopp's show. I don't like the idea of it, but the way you guys have it done is like an auction, right?" Zoro grumbled a 'yes'. The shows they had when introducing a new employee had consisted of showing the sexual capabilities of said employee. Sometimes there will be sex toys involved, depending on if Crocodile deemed the courtesan as a kink toy, other times they would just be given aphrodisiac for the unwilling employee to get aroused or to get the audience completely riled. On rare occasions the new courtesan will just put on a regular entertaining show, arousing the crowd. There was no telling how Usopp's show would be handled, which worried the two older ones. "Since he'll be auctioned off by the end, we have to make sure Sanji has a very high amount to pay for his time with him. From there, you can cause a scene and the other two will be able to get out of there!"

"Are you serious?" Zoro growled. Nami had been nodding before he even asked.

"I'm dead serious, unless you have something better." Touché, he reluctantly thought. "I didn't think so. The idea is to get Sanji to Usopp before anyone else. If that fails, Usopp's going to have a very long night." Both shuddered at the thought. Zoro knew very well what she had meant by 'long night'. He feared for Usopp's wellbeing if it got to that point. He remembered why he was so on edge these last few days.

"Alright fine, but we don't know the amount he's going to have to pay. Crocodile changes the prices constantly based on how many people in the crowd are excited. If there's a shit load of bidders, there's a good chance we won't have enough."

"What's the highest price he's ever asked for?"

"About… three hundred at the most." Nami cursed to herself; that was a lot more than what she had bargained for. She didn't want to beg for Sanji to scrape up much more than he had to pay whenever he did visit. That was more than half of a week's paycheck.

"I'll see if Sanji will get more than that. We'll be able to pull this off."

"I hope you're right about this then. We don't seem to have much of a choice." She smiled up at Zoro, happy he was finally going through with it. She turned her attention to Usopp who was still daydreaming with a burning red face.

"Usopp! We're gonna get you out of here." She chimed. He twitched, snapping back to reality and nodded with a wavering smile. "You'll be free…" She gave him another hug, nuzzling his neck as if she were to never see him again. "Sanji's going to save you, and we'll come see you when you're out of this hellhole." _I wish you'd come with me. You'd be able to eat pancakes and cereal, and whatever gourmet food Sanji may cook. Jesus, I'm thinking as if it's already set in stone._ He wrapped his arms around Nami's waist, giving her a tight hug back.

"If that happens, I'll do my best to get you two out of here too!" Nami laughed, not wanting to repeat herself on how she was completely fine with her place. "Zoro come over here! It's a group hug now!" The green headed man just stared, not wanting to embrace the other two in such a manner. He stood, unmoving with his arms still crossed. The cuddling couple moved over to the third, not letting each other go and wrapped their unhooked arms around Zoro's body. He sighed, reluctantly hugging the other two back. _I don't want to leave them here. I can't. They're my only family now._


	10. Another Sleepless Night

Very short chapter. oi...

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><p>The room had felt empty again. Zoro and Nami had left to their rooms. Once again, Usopp had begged for Zoro to sleep in his room that night, promising that he could have the bed while he slept on the floor. Both knew very well that if Crocodile had come in, shit would've ensued. He had hoped to follow Zoro to his room instead and maybe camp there, but he knew Crocodile would ransack the place if he hadn't found his precious Armadillo in his respective chamber. There was no such thing as sleep when Usopp was left alone in his dark, cold room. He had tried closing his eyes, shutting them as tightly as he could to make the night pass faster, but to no avail, he would be kept up by haunting nightmares, terrible thoughts that seemed to stab at his brain and keep his nerves running.<p>

Any second now, he would constantly think, biting his nails as he sat up for a moment and stared at the door frame. Light from the hallway would dimly shine through the cracks. He laid back down, pulling the thin blanket over his head. _The night's not over until the sun comes back out._ What sun? His room was completely void of any sunshine. There was no telling when day time was there or when it had ended. He tossed to the other side, facing the wall. The bed creaked along with his movements, sending a chill through his spine. _Get out! Stop it!_ _Sogeking…help me._ He fingered the wooden mask he held by his side. His pillow made his head hurt from the lack of fluff. He groaned, not wanting to switch sides again. _Can this nightmare be over? I can't deal with this anymore!_

_Click!_ His body had become unmoving. The door slowly opened, shining light into the room, an eerie figure he knew all too well standing in the door way. _He's here…not again, Go away! Please just let me try to sleep! Just this one night…I want to dream. Please, go away…_ The shadow loomed over his bed side; a hand grabbed at the thin blanket and yanked it off the frozen body. The hand reached down and grabbed the boy's arm. He pulled him off the bed, making a thumping noise as the body hit the floor. The hooked man snickered when seeing the familiar huddling position the younger one had formed. _Just go away! Sogeking, where are you? I can't do this by myself…!_

"Just as expected, Armadillo. Just lay there like a good boy. I'll take care of you." The man leaned over, his body nearly smothering the other. _Disgusting! Horrible, nasty, sick, revolting, putrid asshole! I hate you! I hate you!_ He was pulled up, the upper part of his body hoisted onto the mattress, while the rest of him was held up by the hooked arm. The bed frame creaked. He could see his mask within reach. He stretched out his arm with all the strength he had left, only to be stopped by the elder man's hand. "You won't need that."

_Help me! Soge…_


	11. Soup

Sorry for the long ass wait, you guys. I really appreciate all this awesome support ;w; You guys... thanks 3 I didn't think it'd get so many people reading XD But here, another chapter!

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><p>Monday had come rolling around much faster than expected. It was already the start of the new week. He had hoped this would be the last day he'd have to go to the Men's House. During the night, he had stopped by the Lady's House to get more direction from Lady Orange herself. She seemed happier to see him that night, which had him surprised. They had themselves a room, but kept themselves strictly in conversation. Sanji was informed that Zoro had let Lady Orange know what had happened the night before. He smiled a bit, amused at the Lady's profound optimism.<p>

"When I told Usopp what I had told you, he was in utter shock. He then started to get all day dreamy about the idea. Haha, if only you could've seen his face," She reminisced. "He was all red from the attention he was getting. I think he's got a bit of high hopes, but…I probably would too though we damn well know that this is extremely risky." _You bet it is. As long as you don't get hurt in the process… _"But, again, I have to thank you for taking the initiative. You have no idea how happy this makes me!"

"It's my pleasure, Lady. It's nice to see you smile so much." He commented.

"Well, yeah! I've haven't been this happy for a while. I'm just hoping this all goes according to plan. The only problem is concerning how you'll be getting to him though."

"Did you have anything in mind, Miss?"

"Not exactly a great plan, but from what I've gathered from Bushido, I'll need you to rake up at least four hundred belli." _Four WHAT?_ Sanji had quickly looked towards the wall to avoid eye contact. He was willing to help and he didn't want the Lady to see his surprised, yet nerved face. "You can do that, can't you? You're a sous-chef…"

"I can, Lady. It's just that's a very huge amount. Is that the kid's price in general or…"

"No. It's an auction that's supposed to be happening at his show." _AUCTION? You mean I have to bid for this shit kid?_ "I don't like how it sounds, but the highest they've even been was three hundred. I'm asking you to get as much money as you can so you can get him before everyone else. You have about two days if it happens within this time. Crocodile loves to switch up his schedule depending on his mood, so you may want to check out if there's anything going on today." _For the love of…_

"I just got my pay check on Saturday, so I can see what I've placed in my savings." _Shit, I was going to use that money for a new set of kitchen ware. Well, this is for the Lady. _The red head was completely delighted with what she heard. He felt his heart beat a bit faster. _Yeah, no need to be selfish here._ "Oh, Lady, I was curious about something."

"Go on."

"One thing that's been bothering me since agreeing to this, is what do I do with the kid when I get him? Like, once he's out of this place, should I just… keep him at my place or does he have any other places to go to?" She looked at him with an unsure face.

"Are you willing the let him stay with you?" _Err…_ "He came here because he was homeless. I thought I told you that." _I don't remember that part._ "I had a feeling it'd be no problem for someone with so much money and a nice place."

"M-Miss, I'm not cruel. I had no intentions of just dumping him out on the street. I was just curious is all." The Lady was giving him a very troubled-like stare. That smile she was wearing so nicely seemed to have disappeared. "I can take him in until he gets back on his feet, that's not a problem unless there are a few things that I need to know about?"

"Usopp's a very nice guy, he doesn't have behavioral problems. I mean, considering how he's treated here, I'm sure he's far from being the troublesome type," There was a hint of malice in her voice. "But I'm very grateful that you're allowing him to stay at your place till he's ready to move out and all. Really…"

"Of course! Like I said I'm not…" He stopped himself from speaking anymore, seeing that the Lady had her head bowed, her hair covering her eyes. _She must've assumed I was just gonna take him in… or she didn't think that far ahead?_ Sanji frowned, looking down at her hands; they were trembling. _Jesus Christ. This whole thing really bothers her. As much as I don't like this whole idea, I'm doing it mostly for her. Then again, it's probably me sounding a bit half-assed in this. _He cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling for a moment and rubbing the back of his head. "Oh… I wonder if this kid likes soup. I can make really good chicken noodle, but it's not always the same typical kind of chicken noodle soup. Nah, I make sure to add my own sort of taste to it. I can't tell you my secret ingredients, because you might tell him, but I think it's pretty good." Lady Orange looked up at him, a little confused.

"I would think he'd like soup, why?"

"Well normally when someone isn't feeling good, soup can be made and it makes them feel better. I don't believe you have to be sick for it, but soup…just has that sort of effect on people." He stood up. "Well, I was just speculating what I would make when I get him out of here; the perfect dinner for his first night away from this place. So I think soup will be the best, what do you think?" The Lady couldn't help but smile again.

"I think that's perfect." She said wiping one of her eyes. _There we go. I much rather you smile. _

"Great. I'll be sure to make that for him then. I better get going, though. Who knows when that damn auction shit starts up." He turned to her, seeing that she was still sitting down. "Wish me luck?" He said chuckling.

"Wish you luck, Sanji. And again, thank you so much for doing this for him."

"Of course, Miss."


	12. Backstage

Ah, here's another chapter owo It's becoming distasteful slowly... Crocodile being a total asshole again.

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><p>Wednesday night. Today was the day. Zoro was extremely unsettled, as today his younger friend would be exposed to the many lecherous heathens that crazed only one thing. He sat back stage, glaring at the long, dark red curtains that separated them from the crowd. He kept looking around, seeing if Usopp was coming in from the dressing rooms. He'd seen the kid's costume; he cringed at how skimpy it looked. Of course, all the courtesans had some stupid costume that represented the name. Usopp's costume was something he hated from the first day he has saw it. All he wore was a pair of dark brown boxer briefs, with a tail connected to the back. He had a see through brown shall that resembled the armadillo's back. On the top of his head, there was what looked like two cat ears to Zoro. The outfit in general was just horrendous by description alone. He felt an internal rage when remembering that Crocodile would most likely humiliate the poor thing while on stage. He scratched at his head, scratching against his scalp much harder than he should. He growled, suddenly plagued with the horrid memories of his stage performances. <em>Performances, <em>how the hell could they even be called that? With him taking up all the stage time at all, announcing all kinds of shit this person or that person can do to one of the employees.

_You can fuck him in the mouth if you wanted to. Go as deep as you'd like. _

_Use as many toys as you see fit. This one here loves to be tied up. _

_Don't bother cleaning this one. It's one of his kinks to remain absolutely messy after nice fuck. _

Disgusting, Zoro thought to himself. This whole situation worried him. What was going to happen to Usopp if Sanji ended up failing the bid? Who knows how many men would have their way with the kid. He couldn't do shit to stop it, no matter if he fought off any of the customers or even tried to run off with him before the show even started. Usopp was being watched after by Daz, escorted from the baths, then his room, then backstage. Zoro already knew he couldn't get past Daz of all people. The man was extremely loyal to Crocodile, even if he disagreed with most of his methods. More than likely, Zoro would fail in trying to save Usopp from all this shit.

The door that lead to the dressing rooms had opened. Zoro instantly turned to see who it was, only find that he was right in his assumptions. Crocodile came from the door first, pulling Usopp along behind him with a collar and leash. Daz walked from behind Usopp, looking just as blanked-faced as usual. _A goddamn leash? This bastard…_ The three had come to stand in front of Zoro, in which Zoro saw this as a taunt.

"Well, Armadillo, looks like you'll be finally putting on a show for these wonderful people! Just let's make sure everything is in order. Daz, did you give him the aphrodisiac?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful, more than likely he'll need a little push in the right direction. Don't want a lame whore now do we?" The Croc laughed, tugging on the leash to get some reaction out of the younger one. Zoro gritted his teeth, glaring at the hooked man with more malice than he could control. He was ready to attack at any given moment, but he would be putting Usopp's life in danger. He held back on any form of action. The urges racing in his mind only drove him into a deeper sense of rage. Crocodile ended up sitting Usopp down on a nearby chair, letting go of the leash. He grinned, pulling out the cigar and batting the burned remains on the kid's lap. "You'll be on in about 5 minutes, can you hear the crowd screeching for you? Very nice sound you just might hear more often if you make big money tonight."

No response was given, not even the shake of the head. Armadillo seemed to be lost within his mind already, or the drug had completely taken over. Crocodile frowned; he seemed to hate not getting the proper reply when it came down to degrading others. He lifted his foot, lightly pressing it right in between Usopp's legs. The poor kid let out a very hurt noise, now beginning to shiver.

"Answer me when I speak to you. It shouldn't be that hard now, should it?" He pressed his foot harder, Usopp's voice getting louder.

"Hey!" Zoro stood up, unable to listen to this anymore. The Croc turned his head to the green-haired man, chewing on the end of his cigar. "Would you quit it already? He's going to be on stage… and if you're fucking around with him like that, he'll be useless!" Crocodile removed his foot from Usopp, placing it back on the floor to turn fully to the bushido.

"You have a very good point. Just this once I'll stop. He'll make me a lot of money. Ha, thank you for reminding me." The man's smirk was more sinister than before, his eyes clouded with a sudden shroud of darkness. Zoro stepped back, choking back on the intimidation of this man, hating every second of looking back at the abuser's face. "I guess I can let you have a few moments with him, but he's completely gone now. Daz, I need you in my office for a moment." Crocodile then walked back towards the door he came from, Daz following right after.

Once the two left, Zoro hurried over to his friend, kneeling before him.

"Usopp!" He huffed, seeming to have lost all his breath from yelling at the Croc. He didn't expect much of a reply, "Hey… come on. We're gonna get you out of here tonight. When they start that whole bidding… you'll be getting out of here soon as that stupid blond pays up." He took the boy's hand, squeezing it. "Don't give up just yet." Usopp only whimpered, leaning down towards the older one and wrapping his arms around Zoro's shoulders. "Don't cry. Men don't cry like this, you hear?" Awkwardly patting the other's back, Zoro tried to think of how he could help Sanji get to Usopp even if he lost. _I can take him away now if I wanted._ What was stopping him? He couldn't help but become lost in his own thoughts, forgetting that time was on their hands. On the opposite side of the already nearby door that lead to the dressing rooms, was the door that lead to the outside. The only problem was that it was much farther than the other door, or that was just Zoro's vision toying with him. He wanted so much to do something as soon as possible. He didn't want to just wait, having to depend on someone he or Usopp barely knew to actually succeed in freeing his friend.

What if this didn't work out? Usopp would be stuck for the night in a room with a line numerous customers having their way with him. Zoro could never risk such a thing; he couldn't just allow this show to happen when he had every chance to take the younger one away from it all. All he had to do was get him to the door on the other side. By this time, Usopp had already let go of Zoro, still leaning over, holding his stomach.

"Usopp, get on my back." Zoro turned kneeling with his back facing the other. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

"N-No! I can't… I don't want to!" Usopp whimpered louder, moving himself away from Zoro, even though it was difficult to move his legs already.

"Idiot, it's the only way to get your ass out of here! Let's go now!"

"Z-Zoro, please! I can't, I won't! They'll kill us! They'll kill us…!"

"They'll kill you if you don't get on my back!" Zoro snapped. The door that lead to the dressing rooms swung open. Crocodile and Daz walked in, followed by a few of the other courtesans; Marco being one of them.

"What's all this?" Crocodile asked sarcastically. He waved his hand careless before him. "I hope you're not planning to leave already." Zoro stood up and frowned.

"Not doing anything that concerns you." He growled. The Croc shrugged, making what seemed like a fake, hurt face.

"How distasteful," He replied. "A dog like you really thinks there's such a thing as privacy in this place. No matter, step aside, the show's about to begin." He stood before Zoro, looking down at him with his same, horrible grin. His face was overshadowed with only his eyes gleaming through the smoke that lifted from the burning end of the cigar. The young man tried to steady his ground; he wanted to remain fearless in the eyes of the abuser. Zoro's body began to tremble; he couldn't control these emotions that began to resurface. The memories, the horrible flashbacks forced their way from the back of his mind. _Ignore them! Ignore them! _Zoro stepped back; it was much harder to keep himself in place. He looked down, his breathing began to quicken. _JUST IGNORE IT!_ "Step aside, slut."

It was almost as if he had no choice. His body obeyed the command of the older man. Zoro wanted so much to scream in protest, so much to just attack this bastard and kill him with his bare hands. _He's going to get to Usopp! Stop him!_ Crocodile picked up the end of the leash, pulling it roughly to make Usopp stand. The boy ended up sliding off the chair, struggling to support himself with legs made of jelly.

"Get up. You're about to get on stage." Crocodile pulled Usopp to his feet, supporting him enough so that he could somewhat stand on his own. "Cue the curtains! The show's about to begin!"


	13. This is the Night

SORRY EVERYONE! I like... haven't had much of a motivation to continue this, and I apologize deeply! This story was on hold RIGHT BEFORE the big night. So here you are, you can finally see whether Usopp gets saved or not! I hope this chapter is... very worth the wait. I'm really rusty. I'm so sorry you all had to wait. Thank you for your patience!

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><p>The Men's house seemed to be filled tonight. It wasn't always like this from what he remembered. His very short and scarce visits at least allowed him to walk around the corridor without bumping into someone else. It was tiresome, two full nights of just glaring at the stage, waiting for something to happen when he could've been in a nice room, getting to know a beautiful lady courtesan. He could've gotten to know the Princess, or at least said a small hello here and there. This whole situation was bugging the shit out of him; he had already lost any motivation to keep it up. <em>This kid better be showing his face today.<em> If only he could foretell the future, this would've been easier, maybe even avoidable. He couldn't take Lady Orange's sadness due to these circumstances, he just couldn't.

Maybe he shouldn't have jumped to save the day. Maybe he should've just kept his stupid mouth shut, kept this problem amongst the ones dealing with it. _That sounds overly cruel._ No doubt about it, it was harsh. He knew nothing about this kid other than what the Lady had told him. He sounded like a lost cause at this point, having dealt with all this sexual abuse; he'd have probably already become insane. Sanji sighed, lighting up another cigarette for himself as he requested a very dense beer from the bartender. _I shouldn't be wasting my money. This is for the shit kid, not for me to get drunk._

"On second thought, never mind." He quickly said before the bartender could even grab the container. Sanji turned towards the stage, taking in a very long drag from his cigarette. _Nicotine alone isn't going to keep me calm. Not to mention… how the fuck do I get him out of here if I can't even get the chance to score him for the night…?_ Sanji froze for a moment, blushing slightly from the way he had worded such a thought. He shook his head. _Score? I meant…_ He just dropped it. This whole place was already making his thoughts jumbled. He kept his eyes down, periodically looking up at the stage to see if anything happened. Already he had to smack himself a few times after staring a little too much at a few of the other men around him. He had to remind himself that he was only here to search and rescue, not become confused about his sexuality.

_Maybe this would've been easier with some help, _he thought, rubbing his eyes a few time with his fingers. _I should've asked Ace and Luffy to come along, maybe even put money together just in case I don't have enough. But the Lady did say that I needed four hundred! Shouldn't that alone be enough? This kid can't be that expensive._ He turned to glance at the stage again, hanging his head lower from the disappointment.

"What are you waiting for, sir?" The bartender asked, putting Sanji's thoughts on hold. The blond turned to the man, who was already uncorking his next bottle of wine.

"Ah… that show for the night. Some show for some kid named…uh… Armadillo or something." He replied, giving the man a somewhat confused stare.

"Ah, Armadillo. That kid. You know him, or… recommendation?"

"Recommendation." _Ugh, it just sounds so…_

"Ah, must've been from someone that was allowed back stage or… maybe you spoke with one of the whores here that might be friends with the kid."

"Uh, yeah I sort of did." _I don't wanna talk about this anymore, please just drop it._

"Well, hope you get your chances. Just be nice to him, huh? He's a sweet kid from what I know, and he really doesn't need this." _This guy too..?_

"Yeah I will." The bartender smiled.

"I'll be rootin' for ya." How nice of this man. Sanji shrugged, looking back towards the stage again. He felt all of the energy he had just left; slowly receding into some unknown corner of his body. He slouched where he sat, wishing the night was already over. There was no use in moping, he was already here and he had a job to take care of. Lady Orange depended on him for this, and this was her friend. He knew that if Ace or Luffy were in danger he would do anything to help them out, even if it meant asking others to chip in. The Lady's motive were true, her objective was just to save her friend from this abusive environment. Sanji needed to be the hero for her…even though it meant saving someone else. _She's counting on me, and even if I can't see her again, I'll do this just because I want her to keep smiling._

Just as his hopes in surviving the night had gone up, the lights within the building dimmed as the center of the stage was illuminated. So tonight was the night after all, Sanji thought. He gulped, hopping from his seat and making his way to the very back of the crowd. He looked over the many heads in his way, growling and moving back a few paces, tilting his head back to see. He at least had some view of the stage though it wasn't perfect. It puzzled him how different this was to the Lady's House. The way that the men here crowded the front of the stage, compared to how spacious and elegant the Lady's corridor was. The men there were at least more suave and respectful in their advances, but it may have been because Lady Fleur was so strict on how her girls were to be treated. Here, things were more rowdy and unpleasant. Maybe it was because the man that owned this side was just as bad as his customers. _Men are just pigs._

The curtains rose just enough for someone to pass under without any contact with the drapes. It was the hooked man from before, the one that had been beating on whoever was in the alley way last week, the one the Lady was so enraged by, and the man that held this kid captive. Behind him was a smaller figure limping from behind with his head bowed low enough to where his face couldn't be seen. _That must be him, but why is he limping like that?_

"Good evening, everyone. I'm bringing you yet another valuable toy to the playground." The man was boisterous, giving off a somewhat charismatic vibe. He lifted his hook in the air, causing the crowd to begin to cheer. From Sanji's point of view, he was unable to see the sinister smirk the man always wore. "This one here has been one of my private toys, though I finally decided it was time to share." _Ugh, this man sounds like a total asshole._ "I would like to show you a few things before we auction this one off. But a bit of a warning before we do anything else," The room fell silent for that moment, allowing the man on stage to yell aloud, "Depending on how well you treat this one tonight will determine if I'll allow him to roam around more. So be nice?" The sarcasm in his voice echoed throughout the corridor. The men just decided to laugh it off, clapping their hands and making whooping sounds. "This one's name is Armadillo. My reason for such a name?" He let go of the leash, turning to the bent figure and pushing him down onto the stage floor. Only those close enough could hear the poor boy whimpering. Sanji frowned, he was unable to see the boy due to the many heads before him. "The way he reacts to my presence, the fact that he curls up in a defensive state once I stand before him.

"He's fragile, mind you, but that doesn't mean you can't play rough." Crocodile proceeded in lightly kicking Armadillo's side, causing him to roll over a few times. Some of the men in the crowd cheered louder, others began to boo. The hooked man huffed, pulling the kid up by his arm. "I see some of us can't take a joke. No matter, there are other fun things you can do with this one. Armadillo, look up at the crowd." The kid had already started panting, slowly lifting his head towards the audience. Even from Sanji's view he could make out the very distinct nose The Lady had mentioned. He didn't look the least bit okay. Every bone in Sanji's body began to shake. _What am I even watching?_ "That's a good boy. I'd like you to show them just how wide your mouth can open up to." The younger one allowed his head to drop for a moment. He panted for a few seconds, raising his head again and opening his mouth as commanded. A few whistles from the crowd sounded. Crocodile slowly swung the outward curve of his hook into Armadillo's mouth, moving it in a circular motion. As if he had no choice, Armadillo only kept his mouth wide open, allowing the metal to slide against his tongue. Crocodile kept his hook there, turning back to the men before him.

_This is disgusting. I can't believe I'm just watching all this happen._ It wasn't as though Sanji could jump on stage and fight the hooked man at all… He basically had all these men down here as initial backup if anything were to happen. From what it seemed, all the attention directed at this kid made it obvious it was best to keep low until the auction had begun. How much more of this was he forced to witness? Sanji looked down, doing his best to block out the man's voice. He didn't like the sound of it already, nor could he bear to listen to the way he spoke about another _human being_ as if they were nothing but an object to fuck and destroy. From behind, something suddenly slapped the top of Sanji's shoulder, causing him to turn quickly.

Zoro stood behind him, his eyes were much darker than he remembered. Sanji blinked, feeling some sort of relief that this bushido character was here to somewhat guide him in this whole ordeal. Maybe he could stand there and cover for him while he went off to take a break in the Lady's House or something.

"You see this right?" Zoro glared, furrowing his brows. _OF COURSE I CAN, YOU IDIOT._ Sanji turned away, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Yeah, I can see it. It's right in front of me."

"That's Usopp. That's the kid you're going to be saving. The one you'll be taking home with you."

"Yeah, I got that part down already." Sanji kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to see if the poor thing was in some new position showing off some weird sexual action he could take. _This guy's pretty pissed off. He was already suspicious when I first asked about this kid… now he's even more pissed cause of…this. I can sort of understand the pain this guy's going through, but I could never understand this shit kid's pain at all. _

"All I ask is that when you do take him out of here is that you take care of him. I don't know you well, but you're probably an alright guy for agreeing to this. Lady Orange probably made a mistake in asking a customer to help with our stupid problems, but maybe she was right. All I'm asking of _you_ is that you take care of Usopp."

"You don't need to ask. All this shit that I'm seeing, I already feel like I NEED to do something as soon as possible." Sanji turned the green haired man, examining his face. Zoro didn't look as angry, but catching a glimpse of the blond staring he sort of frowned.

"Then look at the stage and figure out how you're going to make this work." _This guy…!_

"I am! I'm trying to get some sort of plan, no need to rush, jeez!"

"You should've thought of this before even stepping foot in here! You mean you don't have a plan?"

"I do! Just shut up and watch the goddamn stage like you said!"

"I told YOU to watch the stage!"

"Could the two of you please shut the hell up?" A man before them snapped. Both of the two bickerers turned to him with deep glares.

"Who asked you?" They both barked in unison. The man rolled his eyes and turned back towards the stage. Zoro huffed loudly, rubbing his temples.

"Look, I don't care what you do just get Usopp out of this shithole, will ya?"

"Working. On. It." Sanji growled. _Why does it have to be someone so pushy that's this kid's friend… why couldn't it be that other guy from last week? He was much nicer!_ It wasn't so hard to distract himself from the bushido guy, not with the hooked man's voice booming throughout the whole place. He hesitated to look up, hearing the crowd yell even louder now. Catching another quick glimpse, the hooked-man had pulled the front of the kid's shorts down, revealing an erect penis. Sanji shivered, it wasn't something he needed to see. The crowd here was going wild for it. All these men just wanted a piece of it.

"I'd also like to point out that this one has a size above average! Not too small, not too long, and just a bit thicker than most young boys'." The man's good hand swooped down to the poor kid's shaft, gripping the base. Armadillo was loud enough for even Sanji to hear clearly. _That noise…_ He turned away. It sounded… rather sweet. He couldn't believe what he was feeling. This kid's moans were echoing from the stage, but the cheers were louder. "I've softened him up a bit, so no matter your size, just about anyone can penetrate." _No way, don't do this on stage. Please._ The shining gold hook was raised, the audience becoming a little quiet now. Lowering the curved metal object behind the young courtesan, the hooked-man rubbed it roughly against his rear end. Muffled noises that were a little lower than the previous ones sounded. Not too long before, Armadillo fell to his knees. "See? He's a horny little fuck. Perfect for whatever kind of kink you may have."

_Disgusting. Just absolutely horrifying._ Sanji couldn't take much more. He fished for the money in his pockets, finally understanding why the Lady wanted her friend out of here so badly. He had to save this kid, he NEEDED to do so. It was almost as though the kid would die if he wasn't saved. He moved forward through the crowd, forgetting that Bushido was next to him. He wanted to at least reassure the kid, allow him to know he was in good hands. Crocodile resumed to pulling Armadillo back up to his feet, holding him against his chest with the hook around Armadillo's neck. Sanji stopped just before getting to the front. He caught a much better look at Usopp's face. He seemed so distant, unable to connect with reality anymore.

Bushido came up from behind, looking towards the stage. No words, just the mutual understanding of their common goal; to get Usopp out of here. Suddenly, Sanji wasn't doing this for the sake of Lady Orange's happiness. He couldn't do this just for her. He felt foolish, thinking he could blindly save someone with the motive to make _someone else_ happy. He had to have some sort of motivation for the person in need. He couldn't think of this shit right now. He had his four hundred and fifty belli in hand, ready to bid for this kid no matter what the cost.

"Shall we begin the bidding?" The man up front said with a rather devilish grin. The cheers had grown so loudly. "Alright. We'll start at one hundred!" He held up one finger out to the crowd. Sanji felt himself sweating.

"One hundred and ten!"

"One hundred fifty!"

"Two hundred!" Damn, two hundred already? The prices accumulated. Bushido nudged him. _Right, I have to yell my price. But is it okay to bet higher already?_ He had his doubts. What if he didn't have enough? What if four hundred and fifty was a minimum? He looked around, all the hands shooting up into the air, the prices accumulating at a frightening pace. He gulped, Bushido whispering harshly at him. He didn't hear him clearly. Sanji looked up at the stage, seeing Armadillo looking down at the audience. For a brief moment their eyes met. Armadillo looked a bit confused, still distant for a while, but seemed to notice Bushido next to him. He smiled a bit, as though his hope was fully restored. Sanji couldn't help but feel like utter shit again. _I started this only for Lady Orange. I'm so sorry I wasn't more motivated for your sake._ He frowned, giving off his determined face and shot his arm up.

"Four hundred and fifty!" He yelled as loud as he could. For a moment the room was silent, no other bidders said anything. Sanji kept his arm up, his fist shaking from anticipation. Did he win?

"Four hundred and fifty? Going once! Going twi-"

"Five hundred!" _What…?_

"Five hundred! Is that the final bid?"

"Five hundred and fifty!" _What? _

"Five hundred and seventy-five!" _No! Wait, we didn't have enough? Where did…_

"Six hundred!"

"Oh my! Six hundred? Is that your final answer?" There weren't any other numbers shouted. It seemed dead for a moment. "Going once! Going twice…" No one else seemed to give off another bid. This was it. "SOLD! Six hundred for Armadillo! Come up and claim your prize after you pay cash upfront!" The crowd began to die off. Sanji's arm finally lowered, his whole body shaking altogether. He couldn't believe it. He was still looking up at Armadillo who was soon pulled away from the sight of the fading audience. They lost him, they couldn't save him. Sanji looked down at the floor. What was all this for then. A shitload of hungry, lecherous men craving the youngest courtesan available. He should've thought ahead. He should've saved up more money! Bushido was right.

Up one stage, the man with six hundred belli even hastily went up the stage steps and greeted Crocodile, giving him a swift hand shake. He looked like a rich man, a nice white suit, clean and shining shoes. His hair was slicked back and he looked very hungry for something. He eyed Armadillo, watching his every move. He pulled out the money he had from his wallet. Crocodile took it and shoved it in his pockets. He then released his hook from around the kid's neck, allowing him to fall forward. The man caught him, pulling him up and looking him over.

"He's cute, though his nose is in the way. I can look past the ugly thing." He grinned and took the kid's wrist, pulling him to the stage steps.

"Be careful with him, the room you'll be going to will be shown by my subordinate, Daz. If you would be so kind?" Crocodile looked towards his right-handed man. In response, Daz nodded and led the rich man and Usopp to their room. Sanji couldn't help but keep his head down; he was unable to face Bushido now. Ashamed of his failed attempt at rescuing Lady Orange's friend. "And for any others that are interested in Armadillo, the payment for his entertainment is now six hundred even! The highest we've ever had! So scrape up your cash if you want him for tonight!"

"Keep your head up." Bushido said in a harsh tone. He was pissed, more pissed off than he could ever be. They couldn't get Usopp away with the measly amount Sanji had. It wasn't the guy's fault he didn't have enough. He was following orders, but still! "Don't mope. We can still save him if this all goes right."

"The fuck do you mean?" Sanji replied turning to Bushido with a deepened glare. "I lost! I didn't have enough!" Bushido turned to him, frowning.

"That doesn't mean all hope is completely lost! Pick your head up! You still have another chance!"

"Another chance? You really think I have another chance? You and Lady Orange wanted me to save him from this! You already knew what would happen if I didn't, and I FAILED. It's way too late! He's being taken in a room with some rich asshole that's going to do god knows what to him."

"You think I don't know that? That's MY friend in there!" Bushido growled. "Just because we didn't get it tonight doesn't mean we can't try again! You said you needed to do this right?" Which was true but… How could he? He barely had enough cash to even pay for time with him now. Sanji looked at the money, this dirty foul paper that could have won him his chance to help Usopp. It was unfortunate, so very unfortunate that he didn't try harder. Why couldn't he push himself to give a damn before? "If you still feel that you need to help him, then come back tomorrow. Try again."

Sanji shoved the money in his pockets, not bothering to put it in his wallet. He'd get paid in two days and all he had to do was just keep this four hundred and fifty belli in his safe. That was easy enough. Maybe he could come back a bit earlier than he did tonight and watch out for Usopp then. He felt his determination seep back slowly. This was just a setback.

Sanji looked up, seeing that Zoro was already walking away. He probably didn't expect much of a conversation after this whole thing. He wondered what the Lady's reaction would be. He had to pay her a visit, at least one more time before he came back and took Usopp away. _I can't… imagine how she'll feel after I tell her that I failed._


	14. Guilt

YO...Hi guys! I can only say I'm super fucking sorry I ... took so damn long to even get this up. I can only say I had to get a new laptop recently cause my old one fucking died in August and my OP interests have died a bunch for over a year now. But I'm trying to update this cause i'm enjoying the story still TuT You guys and your wonderful comments. It makes me SO HAPPY. So I hope this chapter is what you're looking for. Some Luffy/Sanji bro time. Remembering how Sanji stopped Luffy in the second chapter from kickin Croc's ass? WELL...

Anywho, I didn't do much proof reading cause it's like... almost 3 A.M. So I hope this pleases ya TTuTT;;; I'm so sorry about the long wait. thank you guys... so much.

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><p>Last night's defeat was a tough one to take in. It was difficult to even imagine what horrors 'Armadillo' had endured due to the loss. It messed with Sanji's head a lot more than he thought it would. Sanji didn't even believe for a second that there was a chance he'd care so much. This was all for Lady's happiness originally... but seeing how Armadillo actually looked, all drugged up and displayed like a new sex bot for the world's largest pervs to enjoy; it hit him that this kid really didn't need to be in such a place. The blow stunted him to where he physically felt unable to see Lady afterwards. He avoided leaving through the Lady's House just so he didn't have to admit such a horrible defeat.<p>

What a coward he turned out to be, unable to face the woman that he promised to be brave for. Sanji had decided that he didn't want to go back to that place, at least for a while. He was angry, disgusted with the way things were done. _Can't believe those perverts... clawing at the stage like hungry animals._ Sanji sat in his car, staring up at the ceiling with his seat pulled all the way back. He felt like utter shit, even more so since he ended up using that money from last night for that kitchen set that he had wanted. What a shit move he pulled. He couldn't even look at his new kitchen ware, the box that his new pots and pans, special dinner plates and the like all sat snug within. _I'm such a fucking asshole. That money was for... Ah! Who the hell am I kidding? Like I could do anything for a whore._

He had just gotten home, after mindlessly going to the mall after work and purchasing the new kitchen additions. Sanji couldn't really recall what was going through his mind while he was there, using the money he said he'd keep for the next time he went over to the Lady's House. What difference did it even make? Armadillo... or Usopp, was practically gone to the sharks, being used as a sex toy night by unholy night. Agh, he couldn't take thinking about this anymore. He sat up and opened up the door, leaving the stupid box set of dishes in the passenger seat and got out. Locking up his car, he walked onto the sidewalk, only to see Luffy sitting on the steps in front of Sanji's home. This was a surprise, normally the younger brother was clinging to the older one when it came down to visits like this. Hopefully Luffy was here to just pass time and not mention the whore house.

"Oi, Sanji!" Luffy said as soon as Sanji came closer. "I was waiting for you! You got out a little later than usual huh?" The cook groaned a bit. He was in no mood to talk but Luffy meant no harm. Besides, he could pose as a distraction from his lingering thoughts.

"I stopped by the liquor store to get some smokes and the mall. What are you doing here without Ace?"

"Ace wasn't feeling too hot today. He said he wanted to go see the bird guy, Marco from that fun house we went to!" Fun house? Where was Luffy's mind half the time he was even there? "I'm not too worried though, Ace is really set on getting Marco out, and I'm sure he will!" Luffy's wide smile stretched across his face. The ever faithful kid brother, huh? _Yeah, he'll get the Phoenix guy out while the poor Armadillo kid rots and gets raped all fucking night._ Ugh, the thought repulsed him. Sanji shook his head quickly and pulled out his keys. _Fuck these thoughts..._

Once the door was opened, Luffy pushed his way inside and ran around the front room, laughing. _This fucking kid... he acts like he's ten. What's got him in such a constant state..._ Luffy pulled off his sandals and set them at the base of the large stairs that were a few feet away from the front door. Sanji's home was large, maybe too large for just one man to live in. He never really thought of having a roommate, but it was always easy to consider such thoughts since there were more than enough rooms. Sanji had Ace and Luffy, some guys from the Baratie that spent the night over from time to time and the extra rooms proved necessary. He looked up at the steps, that kid could've been wandering around the house, relieved to be away from the dark corridors of his last 'home'. Sanji frowned, taking off his shoes. Why was his mind guilt tripping him so damn much?

The sound of Luffy's laughter lessened as he ran toward the left and into the kitchen. Of course, that'd be the first place he'd head in. Sanji grumbled as he followed Luffy in there. The left side of the first floor consisted of a dining room and the kitchen, both connected but partially divided by a small 'bar' between both rooms. The table within the dining room was long, had six chairs and lovely decorated plates on top. The kitchen was almost all chrome, an island in the middle and only the best kind of equipment inside. It paid to be the adopted son of a head chef in a very successful restaurant.

"So are you gonna make anything?" Luffy asked, looking in the fridge. Sanji wasn't even sure he was in the mood, but Luffy was hungry. He sighed, moving Luffy from the front of the fridge and looked in. It was always packed with food but nothing was ever wasted. That was something he lived by, never wasting food. "Maybe you can make some kind of um...MEAT!" The typical choice of the childish teen. Sanji closed the fridge and opened up the freezer, pulling out some steak and set it on the counter to thaw. He moved along to his seasonings and plucked out a few that he normally used on most of his meat. He stopped for a moment, staring at the different seasoning tops and frowned. _Soup... I said I'd make the kid some soup when I..._ "OI. Sanji!"

"What... What?" Sanji snapped out of his thoughts, turning to Luffy who was right behind him.

"You're actin' all funny! What's up with you today?" Luffy wrinkled his nose, frowning to see what the hell was up. Sanji rarely spaced out as much as he was today, and Luffy was able to catch it. Sanji just stayed quiet, slowly averting his eyes back to the seasonings and shrugged. "I guess you don't have to tell me."

"Just feel like shit, Luffy. Don't worry about it."

"Well, okay!" Luffy smiled. It wasn't in Luffy to really dig deep in other people's problems. He knew some people just needed time alone to heal if they didn't want to rely on others. Sanji was a little relieved that Luffy wasn't so nosy, but at the same time he felt like he needed to let Luffy know what was going on. It wasn't because he felt Luffy could help him feel better, no, it was only due to letting it out and releasing himself of a guilty conscious. Sanji wanted to stop thinking about it so much. Instead of standing there and dwelling on his thoughts, he went ahead and pulled the meat over to the sink and turned on the hot water, putting the meat under to help thaw it faster.

After a few hours, the meat had finished cooking. Sanji had spent a lot of his time sitting in the livingroom, staring at the box containing his new pots and pans. He was still upset with himself, but also unsure if he wanted to keep them. Luffy was asleep on Sanji's couch, having gotten tired after waiting for the food. The stove began to beep, waking Sanji up from his little staring contest with the inanimate box. He stood up and went to the kitchen, grabbing his oven mitts and opened up the stove. The steak smelled amazing, but he had no appetite for any. He set the pan on top of the stove and pulled down a plate for Luffy. There were some vegetables in a nearby pot that had been heating up, along with some pasta that he had finished not too long ago. A full course meal. He was sure Luffy would eat this all withing a few minutes.

After making Luffy's plate and setting it on the table, he went back to the living room to wake him up.

"Oi, Luffy. The food's done. Get up." He nudged the younger one, waiting for a response. Luffy stirred just a bit, only to roll onto his side and soon fall off the couch. "Dumb ass, I told you to lay down on one of the beds upstairs."

"Hmm, but I didn't wanna." Luffy whined and stood up. He wobbled on his half-asleep legs and yawned. "What was done?"

"The food's-"

"AH! Food!" Luffy instantly opened his eyes and rushed into the kitchen. So typical of him to get so excited about food. Sanji smiled a bit and followed after. Hm, his mind got back to thinking about Usopp again, how him and Luffy were about the same age. Would they be good friends? Luffy didn't even sit down once he pulled up his plate of food and began eating while standing behind the chair he should've been sitting in. Almost at the snap of the fingers, Luffy was finished, some bits of the steak and pasta were around his mouth, but not too long after he licked his lips. "MN! That was great! Can I have more?" What was the use of saying no? Sanji grabbed the plate, giving Luffy another refill of all three courses and gave him the plate back. Sanji wasn't going to eat any of it, but Luffy would.

"Hey, Luffy," He began saying, his eyes were on the almost empty pot of veggies. Luffy muttered a response, letting him know he was listening. "I fucked up last night." Luffy lowered his plate, cheeks filled with the food. He swallowed and blinked, staring at the back of Sanji's head.

"What are you talking about?"

"... Last night I was at the... 'fun house' as you call it."

"Really? Did you see Zoro there?"

"Yeah, I did, but we were trying to help someone." Sanji felt his heart pound a little faster. He didn't want to remember how he failed, but he needed to get it out. His mind was cluttered with what ifs. "I was suppose to have enough money to help them get out of there, but I didn't. He was about your age and seemed like a nice kid, but I couldn't save him." He frowned. clenching his fists. He heard Luffy gulping down the last bits of his food and moved up next to Sanji and held out his plate.

"More!" _Is he fucking listening to me?_ Sanji grumbled, giving Luffy the rest of the food and stashed the dishes in the sink. "If you wanted to save someone, then you should've taken them and left!" _It's not that fucking simple._ "Why pay if they need help?"

"Because I wouldn't want to just up and break the rules like that! What do I look like breaking in and just taking someone out of there? I couldn't get past the security guards."

"That's a lie, Sanji. You're an amazing fighter! You knocked out tons of guys with your legs alone!" Luffy said in between chews. That was true, but it wasn't going to help him in this. Who knew what those men were capable of. "I don't see why you can't just kick those guys' asses. If they're hurting someone, they deserve to get hurt. Like that guy that was hurting someone in the alley! If you didn't stop me, I could've helped whoever was getting hurt." Luffy turned away and shoved the last piece of steak in his mouth.

Being reckless and brash like Luffy wasn't that hard. Sanji was pretty much in a reckless mood at the Baratie, always having to kick some ungrateful guy's ass at some point. He frowned, how come he wasn't able to act that way in the "Gentleman's House"? He scratched the back of his head, a little unsure.

"I guess you're kinda right about that." Sanji said. Luffy set his empty plate in the sink and turned his gaze to Sanji. He looked serious, only for a moment before he grinned.

"Then let's go save this guy!"


	15. Reckless

EYYY. Can't believe it's nearly been a year. And I'ma be real with you guys, this chapter's been done for some time but I fucking forgot and I STRONGLY apologize for that. I REALLY DO. I just re-read it and I had some errors so I guess I was too tired to proof read and it just...escaped my mind. But, I tell ya this chapter's at least more build up and shit's starting to happen, so let's hope I don't take another year to update. I'm HUGELY sorry for being so dumb with this. It's not that I give up or anything, it's just hard to finish things. But I do have strong urges to keep going! Please enjoy ;v;

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><p>"I can't believe you actually talked me into doing this." Sanji muttered, gripping his steering wheel and staring over at the whore house. He had three cigarettes burning all at once, blowing out so much smoke that the car itself was foggy on the inside. It was past 9, the building had been open for some time now.<p>

"Of course! You were complaining about failing so why not do this!" Luffy grinned, all jittery in his seat. He looked back over at Sanji. "Not to mention, Ace is here too! More than likely he'll help us out!" _Of course he would. OF COURSE._ Sanji growled, sinking in his seat and hiding his face from any of the people walking by. He was too afraid of being spotted by the Lady or that damn samurai guy. What if they were going to kick his ass for failing. No, that was irrational. The Lady would understand if he didn't have enough money and Bushido was there to see for himself that he was a few hundred short. "Let's go inside now! Maybe Zoro will help us too!" _Oh my god, Luffy._

Regardless of Sanji's lack of response, Luffy swung open the passenger door and got out, closing it before Sanji could even protest. _This idiot! We didn't even come up with a plan!_ Sanji fought back his fears of being seen and got out too, only to see Luffy head into the "Gentlemen's House". None of this felt right, it all felt so wrong. Sanji's legs had a mind of their own, moving after Luffy and catching up to him despite not wanting to step foot inside. The whole place had been a little spacious it seemed, only due to the large crowd that had gathered close to the opposite end of the room. _What's all this about?_ Luffy's first instinct was to move toward the large crowd, surely there was something important in that direction.

"Maybe our guy's over there!" He said, swinging his arms as he took long strides toward the crowd. _Sure, maybe he's right over there with all the...sex-hungry men..._ That sounded like it could be it. Now Sanji felt angry, stomping past Luffy as he moved toward them, his teeth clamped down on the three crinkly cigs that hung out of his mouth. He pushed past most of the men in the back, not even hearing what they were shouting about. Upon getting to the middle, he saw Ace, standing over some guy with a messed up face. _What?!_ Ace was laughing, looking over at Phoenix who just shook his head in shame. _ What the fuck is he doing?! This asshole!_ Luffy soon caught up and grabbed Sanji's shoulder, looking to see his brother.

"ACE!"

"Luffy! What are y- Sanji too? Ah~ It's so nice to see you both!" He grinned and moved over to them. "You missed it, this guy came out of NOWHERE. He was getting all riled because I had paid for Marco's services before him! What a baby, right?" He laughed again, Luffy joining in shortly after. Sanji let out a low, long growl. He expected Armadillo to be there... expected him to be cowering from all these men, but it was only Ace after winning a fight.

"How could you be so damn reckless? You just knocked some guy out over nothing!" Sanji scolded, pointing a long bony finger at Ace. Ace smiled and shrugged.

"Well, he raised his fist first! You expect me to just let that slide? Besides, the guy wouldn't quit swining, right, Marco?" Phoenix just nodded, looking back at the door opening that lead to the back of the stage.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Came the booming, an all too familiar voice. Sanji froze, seeing the hooked man emerge from the small door frame and make his way over to the now quiet crowd. Ace merely turned towards the elder man with a sly smirk, he wasn't afraid of the man that was probably ten times scarier than the mook he just beat up.

"A fight. I won, of course! This guy was harrassing me for no reason!" The Croc glared down at Ace, his eyes piercing. He bit down on his cigar and loomed over Ace.

"A fight huh? Do you know what happens to assholes that cause commotion in MY whore house?" He raised his hook under Ace's chin, who seemed unfazed by all this. "Assholes like you and that man get kicked out! Did you want that?"

"I don't think I deserve to be kicked out if i was only defending myself! And I already paid for a few hours with my courtesan so, I don't believe I should get the boot. This guy on the other hand, whew! He's like a bull!" The Croc frowned more, pushing the hook into Ace's throat. Luffy clenched his fists, but he knew his brother could hold his own. Sanji only gulped, _This man... what's he even capable of._ He pulled out his three cigs and looked over at the door that the towering man came out of. _That's backstage... Backstage. BACKSTAGE!_ Sanji perked up and nudged Luffy, pulling him back into the crowd. Luffy looked back at him, wondering what this was about.

"Hey! I gotta see what happ-"

"This is our chance!"

"Huh?"

"Our chance to get him!"

"Get who?"

"Usopp!"

"... Uso... OH. Usopp!" Luffy lightly tapped his fist into his palm and nodded. "I remember now! But Ace can help us!"

"He is! He's distracting the hooked guy! As long as Ace keeps that up, we can get Usopp and get the fuck out of here!"

"Okay then, where's Usopp?" Sanji paused. He wasn't sure where Usopp was. He frowned and looked around the room. As large as it was, it was easy to see if there was a short, long-nosed boy around. _Nope, I don't see him. Would he even be out here?_

"Shit, I can't figure that out without any knowledge how this corridor works... Who knows if he's already seeing someone for their time." Luffy was a litle confused, but he was listening. This was a rescue mission and the hooked guy needed to be occupied. He smiled and nodded. That seemed easy enough. "Maybe... if we could just get backstage... but who knows if we need a key!"

"Zoro!"

"Wha...?"

"Zoro! We should find Zoro! Maybe he has a key! Only workers can go backstage, right?" _True, but where is that moss headed guy?_ They didn't exactly have a lot of time to pull all of this together like some huge plan. They needed to act fast. The big bad was already out in the open, distracted even if for a short time. Sanji puffed away on his three cigarettes and huffed, maybe he could just sneak inside without a key. Did the door even have one? "We should check the doors!" Luffy was on a mission now. He knew what needed to be done and he was going to make sure it happened. The rooms around the corridor all had a Vacant or Occupied sign on the doors. Luffy checked each one and knocked on the Occupied doors, hoping to hear Zoro's voice. "ZORO! You there?"

_This is stupid...This isn't going to work either._ They checked a bunch of different doors, finally coming to an vacant door that had some sound in it. Luffy put his ear up against the door.

"That's him! I hear him!" _We're not going to walk in on this guy fucking with someone else, are we? Please say we're not._ Luffy clamped his hand down on the doorknob, looking back at Sanji with his usual michievious grin. _That face says we will..._ Luffy turned the knob and opened the door. "Shishi! You're here!" The two bodies on the bed began to scramble, the familiar green haired man pushed the man on top off.

"What the hell are you two doing?! Get out!" Zoro yelled, sitting up and pulling his costume back on. His cheeks were immensely red. What were these idiots doing interrupting like this? The man before him was out of breath, looking over at the two newcomers and growled at them and began to yell. Luffy chuckled, moving toward the bed and pulled Zoro off.

"Hey! That's my courtesan! Get out I'm not fucking finished!"

"We just need him real fast! It's important!" Luffy pulled Zoro out of the room and slammed the door shut. Sanji put his palm onto his face and hung his head. _What else was there to expect from this guy._ Zoro pushed Luffy off, glaring down at him and then seeing Sanji right behind. Zoro's eyes narrowed, if Sanji was here, maybe this meant good news. "You came back." He muttered, turning from Sanji.

"Of course I did!" Luffy chimed. "I told you I would!"

"Not you! I mean him! But... it's nice to see you too," Zoro blushed again, averting his eyes, "Even though it was highly unecessary how you...came in." Luffy just giggled and nodded. "Anyways, I didn't think you would. After what happened last night, I was sure you wouldn't show your face back here again. I guess I was wrong about you." Sanji pulled out the three cigs and slowly exhaled. As much as he didn't want to be here, he was glad he came. The nearby voices from the hoard of men grew louder. The circle broke apart as Ace was hurled backwards. Luffy growled, seeing the hooked man walk toward his brother.

"That dirty jerk! I oughta beat his ass..." Luffy clenched his fists, but it was obvious Ace had this; or so he thought. Sanji began to panic, only to just now notice Ace's eyes were shut, and he was snoring at his loudest. . _That dumb ass fell asleep during a fight?! _The Croc leaned down over Ace's limp body and picked him up from the collar. He was pissed, the man that was giving so much sass randomly fell asleep on him while standing up!

"Wake up you piece of shit! You think you can play games by acting like you're sleeping? This isn't cute!" He shook Ace a few times before throwing him into one of the tables. Luffy took a step forward, teeth clenched and fists ready to brawl. Sanji held him back, giving him a stern glare. _Wait... just hold on._ This could actually be good. Sanji looked back at Zoro, who was staring with wide eyes. What the fuck was all this?

"We're getting Usopp out of here," Sanji began, grabbing Zoro's attention. "We need your help. We're not paying for anything, we're just gonna grab him and leave! The hooked-shit's occupied, and Luffy here can make shit worse for him, if you just help me get to Usopp... I can save him." Zoro stared at the blond, his brows furrowed. He was in utter disbelief that this shit of a man was actually trying. Luffy's fueled anger was only going to help them out too. Zoro quickly snapped out of it, nodding.

"You'll have to follow me... Hey, Luffy." Zoro's words reached the youngest one, causing him to turn. "You kick that guy's ass for me if you can." Luffy grinned, of course he would. This man was giving his older brother shit, he wasn't going to get out of this easily. Sanji looked in between his two companions and let go of Luffy. It was his time to shine, moving toward the hulking man. Sanji then turned his attention to Zoro who was already running toward the backstage entrance. Sanji wasn't too far behind, once the door was open. "Understand that you won't just be able to slip out of here undetected. I can't help you as much as I'd like, I can only tell you which rooms he might be in." That was enough information for Sanji. He nodded. "There's three different rooms. The bathroom, his own room, or Crocodile's room. I'd check the first two first. But when you get to Croc's room, be careful. He's got a right hand man that patrols the hallways, and makes sure everyone's accounted for. He's not as scary as Croc, but he's damn there close." Sanji began to sweat some, but he understood. "And... if you succeed in getting Usopp out," Zoro looked down. "Please... get him back on his feet. Help him get better. Please."

Sanji didn't think of giving Zoro any problems. He nodded, patting Zoro's shoulder and ran inside, going toward the first door he saw. Zoro frowned, watching the blond run off. The rooms all had name plates on them, so it wouldn't be hard to find. He only hoped that Sanji was able to get Usopp out of this hell hole in time.


	16. Stuck

Ahhh, next chapter. I had actually finished this a while ago, but I forgot to reread and edit over things if I needed to. So yah, here we have it from Usopp's perspective :D The next chapter is... well... you'll see when I get it done vuv 3 Enjoy! And THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the sweet reviews!

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><p>Gross, his body felt gross. Nothing could erase last night from his mind, it was as if it was branded into his subconsciousness. He felt as though he was caught in an endless loop of remembering what had happened, with bits and pieces of the event creeping up on him. He was in and out of a daze, the drugs were sort of a suppressant that kept him immobile but still aware. They were only just now beginning to wear off, as he was able to move around again. He lacked distractions.<p>

Being locked in Croc's room all by himself didn't make it any better. In some ways, he felt lucky to even be sitting on the large bed with a horribly oversized robe on rather than reliving last night's events with a new disgusting suitor to please. Apparently the Croc didn't want him on display tonight, feeling as though he shared Usopp enough for the week and wanted to wait till the next for another auction. _Can't believe I'm just sitting here waiting for him to come back... Then again, what the hell can I even do to escape all this. I'm pretty much set for life in this place, so what's the point of even trying._ He leaned forward, watching his legs sway off the edge of the bed, barely touching the carpet below. Nothing in this room made him feel comfortable, as terrible memories of what happened within these walls would intercept with the events of last night, it was just a collision course of horrible flashbacks. _I can't do anything. I'm going to live here for the rest of my life being used by men I don't even know._

There was no way anyone he knew could help him out. Nami's "Prince Charming" was a bust, and Zoro was powerless to Crocodile due to the same shitty treatment he received. Neither could stand up to the sexually abusive man, and neither wouldn't dare try. _Should I really allow myself to just take what's coming to me, or should I fight back for once?_ He chuckled to himself. There was no way he'd figure out a way to put an end to all this. As clever as he thought himself to be, he still couldn't figure out a getaway plan even after the year he had been around this place. _Dammit, I really am stuck..._

Usopp felt his vision blur, his hands shake from frustration. He kept coming back to the utter realization of his ultimate demise. Being stuck as someone else's sex toy, with no chance to see the outside world again. _I can't fight this, but am I really just suppose to lay on my back and take it?_ Was there no other solution? It seemed unlikely that anything would work, not even an outside source. He rubbed his eyes and sniffed, not even able to recall the Prince's face. He was suppose to be Usopp's ticket out of here, the one that was suppose to get him to safety elsewhere. There was no promise, but it felt like one had just been broken. That man at least tried. _I can't be pissed at him, Nami more than likely just seduced him into helping me out but he didn't have enough money ready for that auction. Who even gives a shit about me anyway? Only Nami and Zoro can really say they do, but that's about it... No one from outside this place probably even knows I exist, not even Kaya. _

It struck him like an arrow to the heart. His childhood friend, Kaya, who hadn't been within the city for years was she up to? Was she well? There was no way in the world he could figure that out where he was. _Even Kaya probably forgot I existed, how funny is that._ All of these negative things just made him break, feelings of despair began to consume him.

"Sogeking, I can't... do this anymore!" He whined, wiping his eyes on the bed sheets. "Being stuck in here is gonna kill me well before my ti-" He stopped, hearing footsteps steadily get louder. He looked over at the door and sat up quickly. Those weren't the normal heavy steps, but they were quick and it scared him. Someone was coming. He got up from the bed, his legs felt like jelly. He looked around the room, searching for something sturdy. Didn't take long before unplugged one of the lamps that sat on a nightstand. The base was a thick wood, probably good enough to knock someone out cold. _Ah! This should do! _He couldn't allow this anymore, if it was Crocodile that came charging through that door, well he was gonna get one hell of a smack to the head!

Usopp got next to the door, seeing that it swung inward, he'd be able to catch the intruder by surprise. He held the lamp upside down, hands just above the lightbulb that was still screwed in tight. He was shaking so bad he thought he'd drop the damn thing. _This is gonna be it... for all that shit he put me through._ But who's to say it was even Croc? What if it was someone else? No... no one would be crazy enough to parade down these halls in such a manner, only Croc did it if he was pissed. _Yeah, we're gonna take him down, Sogeking! Grant me strenght... I-I'm gonna need it._ He was scared shitless, slowly convincing himself it'd fail and he'd get beaten to a pulp again. His knees almost gave out from the ever growing thoughts of failure.

The footsteps got closer and closer, almost all the doors had been opened and slammed shut. What the hell was Croc even doing? Someone else must've did something to make him this upset and for once it wasn't Usopp's doing. It couldn't possibly be Nami or Zoro, both were working right now. He gulped down his last shred of doubt, raising the lamp up as high as he could, the door next to this one was slammed shut. _Breathe in...breathe out..._ He tried to calm himself down, tears developing in the corners of his eyes. Whoever was on the other end of the door had trouble unlocking it, but it swung open, nearly hitting the tip of Usopp's nose. He almost froze up, but saw a figure walk in. Before even giving it a second thought, Usopp yelled out loud, swinging the lamp onto an unsuspecting Sanji.


	17. Exodus

Hey everyone! This chapter's been somewhat done for a while but I had to edit and add things and here it is now! I apologize for the long wait times in between, but I'm so happy you guys are still so dedicated to reading this. Maybe after this chapter updates will be more frequent? I don't know yet, but I'm working on the next chapter now! I'm more of an artist than a writer so balancing the two is...difficult and somewhat odd. I don't really write much at all and I suppose it shows? Either way, thank you so much for reading!

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><p>The blow to the head caused Sanji to stumble to the floor, his hands instantly reached up to soothe the pain. He tried to keep his body from completely collapsing as he leaned forward, holding himself up with one hand on the floor. He groaned, his head was ringing. Usopp raised the lamp again but noticed the blond hair. He dropped the lamp behind him, instantly kneeling next to the poor guy.<p>

"I'm so sorry! I didn't... I didn't think you were the one coming down the hall, I thought you were Crocodile, I promise I didn't mean it!" Usopp felt his tears trickle down his face, why was this guy here? He seemed familiar but his face was a blur to him. It couldn't have been "Prince Charming", could it? "Please don't be mad!" He whined and looked at Sanji's face. He was obviously in pain, red in the face from keeping in any curse words and trying to remain cool. Even after such a blow to the head, Sanji sat upright. He kept rubbing the spot, but looked over at Usopp and frowned. "I-I really didn't-"

"I get it... stop apologizing, I'm not mad. What the hell did you hit me with?" He looked behind the other, seeing the lamp lay on its side, the bulb had broke from the impact of the fall. "Ah..."

"I didn't... mean it, I swear. I thought you were someone else."

"I know you didn't, but jesus." Sanji sighed, pulling another cigarette from his pack and lit it up, just out of habit. "So, you're Usopp," The younger one quickly nodded, scooting closer and raising a hand to check the wound on Sanji's head. Sanji flinched at first, which caused Usopp to move away from him. The two merely stared at each other, not sure how to react. "Uh, L-Lady's talked about you... quite a bit. Wait a minute, there's no time to act casual, we need to go!" Sanji stood up, his head pounded. He frowned as he soothed the spot one last time and turned his attention to the door. _We stay in this place any longer, I'm gonna get my ass handed to me on a silver platter._ He put his ear to the door, there wasn't any noise coming from the hall yet.

Usopp was still in awe at the sudden situation, having someone he barely knew in his room telling him that it was time to go, and not too long after being smacked in the back of the head with a large wooden lamp. He couldn't bring himself to even stand up he was so confused. Without any verbal response, Sanji turned back to the dumbfounded Usopp and sighed.

"Come on, we need to go-"

"I can't... I don't even know you! Or your real intentions!"

"Are you seriously saying this right now?"

"Yes! I am! I have every right to question you! And just because you said you've spoken to Lady, doesn't mean I'm suppose to instantly trust you. There's no real way you can help me escape even if I blindly agreed to it." _Are you fucking with me right now?_ Sanji had to keep his cool, from Usopp's perspective it was understandable. Being fucked over countless times in the past year by Crocodile probably screwed up his sense of trust with anyone outside this building. Sanji had to remember he was dealing with someone that suffered abuse numerous times, trust had to be earned, not just freely given away.

"Okay, look. I'm gonna be very honest with you, but in order to get you out of here you also have to trust me. We can't just sit here trying to get to know one another while my time back here is extremely limited. I don't know how long that hooked-shit's gonna be kept occupied out there, but this was my chance to come back here and get your ass to safety, so you either come with me or not." Usopp wasn't letting up, as much as the kid yearned to be out of this shit hole of a place, he wanted to be sure he was being taken to safety and not just another dead end. Sanji could tell by Usopp's shaken nature that it took just about everything to even speak up for himself, his eyes looked more than determined. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Sanji, and yeah, I frequent the "Lady's House" cause I'm a shitty pervert that fell for a courtesan. Even though I agreed to doing this for her sake, I now know you really need my help. It was shitty of me, I know, but I seriously wanna help you get out of here. After that auction I..." Sanji's voice trailed off as he turned from Usopp. He felt that familiar guilt from earlier creep back up on him.

It wasn't helping that there was nothing but silence. Sanji was positive this must've pissed Usopp off, but he said he'd be honest. After a few moments of uncomfortable stares, Usopp looked down and nodded.

"I already knew you weren't doing this for me, but I'm not mad. I expected that." He muttered, looking back up at the blond and shrugged. "You didn't know me prior to any of this so how could you possibly hold any desire to help me just because you want me to be safe? I'm just glad you said it without lying to me first." It hurt to hear but Usopp being the cynical person he was, at least he expected it. This wasn't some noble act, the whole "Prince Charming" bullshit was just something thought up by two hopeful, yet desperate people. With that said, Usopp placed a quivering hand on Sanji's knee. "I kind of want to be taken out of here now."

_Good! _He somehow got through to him. Sanji quickly got up and beckoned for Usopp to do the same. His enthusiasm didn't seem to reach the younger one, who just remained on the floor, unmoving. _What...? _He kneeled back down, offering a hand.

"Did you need help standing up?"

"I'm fine, it's just I didn't expect this to actually happen."

"A year in a place like this oughta do that to ya, but this isn't the time to be doubting the chances of a miracle, we need to get moving okay? It's a lot to take in, but we can get you out of here!"

"Then what? After we get away from here, where are you gonna take me? Drop me off at some homeless shelter or something? I don't have an actual home anymore... My parents aren't exactly..."

"You're staying with me, don't worry about what comes next, worry about getting out of here first!" Sanji pulled Usopp to his feet, the younger one stumbled, his legs still weren't all the way there. "If you can't walk, I'll carry you." Usopp felt his face flush, shaking his head. _He's really disagreeable right now... but who could blame him._ "Get on my back." Usopp took a moment to really weigh the possibilities of this being pulled off. Even with Crocodile out of in the main room right now, there was still little to no chance of getting out undetected. Through the Lady's half of the building, maybe, but to get over there without being seen, one would need a key.

Usopp wrapped his arms around Sanji's neck, being boosted up onto the blond's back. His legs dangled, while squeezing the blonds sides with his thighs. He leaned his head down, not wanting to look ahead at what was to come.

"W-Wait! Ah, I'm sorry to ask, but could I get something from my room?" _We don't have time for this!_

"Yeah... cause we're not coming back. Hang on." Sanji didn't have to worry too much about getting tired while carrying Usopp, the kid was almost bone thin. He was careful not to slide his hands anywhere, keeping them firmly grasping the only spots of Usopp's legs covered by the robe. It was silky but worn, he could feel Usopp's skin right through the fabric. It made him slightly uncomfortable. Judging from how Usopp remained completely still, it didn't seem like he was doing anything wrong, thankfully. Sanji slowly opened the door, peering through the opening and then opened it wider, stepping out of the room. Usopp clung tighter, Sanji could tell he was on edge.

The duo passed a few rooms, finally coming to the one door with "Armadillo" plastered on the name plate. They slipped inside and shut the door, Usopp hopped off of Sanji's back. He was able to walk for the most part, but there was a limp in his step. Usopp opened the closet and pulled out a wrinkly old backpack. He scrambled around the room, pulling things from the bottom of the closet, under the bed, and his pillows as well as his drawers. Sanji watched him scale the room, while listening for any footsteps outside the door. Usopp finished up quickly, the old backpack looked completely full.

"Don't um... Don't look, okay?" Usopp muttered, pulling a t-shirt and pair of pants from his closet. "I don't wanna leave this place in nothing but a robe." Sanji nodded and turned away, that was easy, right? He didn't have any desires to look at Usopp change, right? He shook his head to rid himself of any weird thoughts that suddenly popped up from the temptation just to sneak a peek. He hated that it was almost instinct to do what he was told not to do. He kept his eyes on the frame of the door, finding something to focus on. Out of pure curiosity, Sanji peeked back at Usopp, seeing him strip himself of the robe. His back looked all bruised up, along with his arms. Something about Usopp's frail, beaten body just made Sanji burn with anger. Who was Croc to think he had every right to mess up another human being for probably no real reason at all?

Usopp pulled his shirt on, pulling the bottom of it all the way down to his hips, looking back at Sanji and frowned. Sanji turned away almost as fast as their eyes met.

"I-I said don't look!" He yelled, but covered his mouth. They were suppose to be quick and quiet about this. _Way to fuck up, dumbass!_ Sanji thought to himself, rubbing his eyes. It wasn't that he wanted to look just to be a damn pervert or anything, it was merely to just... see. He felt a pat on his shoulder which caused him to flinch. Usopp held a frown on his face, cheeks a bit pink from embarrassment. "I'm ready."

Sanji nodded, leaning over slightly for Usopp to mount on his back. The kid was slightly heavier with the backpack now weighing down on them both, but nothing too big for Sanji to handle. He was just about to open the door when he heard someone coming down the hall. _Of course, just as we're about to leave..._ Sanji leaned next to the door, listening for the mystery person that was traveling down the hallway. Whoever it was just passed the door, though their deep voice could somewhat be heard. Usopp's arms locked tighter around Sanji's neck. _That's not a good sign._ He couldn't open the door just yet, even with the sound of footsteps so far that it was barely audible through the door. He had his hand on the knob but didn't yet turn it.

"What are we waiting for?" Usopp whispered, his breath brushed up against Sanji's ear, with his nose just in Sanji's peripheral vision. Sanji didn't answer, he didn't need to at this point. Both boys could hear the sound of a door slamming shut, someone yelling. Usopp knew well who it was now and whimpered. "H-He's here! He's gonna come in here!" Sanji backed away from the door, looking around the room. "It's Crocodile, the plan's a bust! We're not getting out of here, Sanji!" Usopp was already bursting into tears.

"Get off my back and hide, okay? Don't give up so fast!"

"But, he knows I'm gone-"

"Hide!" Usopp climbed off Sanji's back, and dropped to the floor, instantly squeezing his thin body under the bed. He pulled the robe and his backpack underneath as well, remaining out of sight. Sanji hadn't reacted fast enough before the door swung open, knocking Sanji on his back.

"Who the fuck are you?! Why are you in here?!" Croc stomped into the room, grabbing for Sanji's collar before he had the chance to crawl away. His breath reeked of alcohol, but it was rather stale. Sanji was sure this man was already done with tonight and it's odd happenings. He hoped Luffy and Ace were alright. "Answer me you fucking ingrate!" _Jesus christ, I'm not gonna get out of this without getting roughed up first._ Sanji frowned, using his legs to push at Croc's torso, hoping that'd put some distance between them. Unfortunately for him, the man was much stronger with how large he was compared to Sanji, not so much as making him flinch. He rammed Sanji into the farthest wall, the end of his hook was right next to Sanji's eye. "You better start fuckin' talkin' before I gouge your fuckin' eyes out!"

Sanji couldn't even speak, he was practically being choked. He squirmed, his boots were sliding off of Croc's suit. Crocodile practically slammed Sanji to the floor, getting on top of the blond and smacking him across the face with the back of his hook.

"Where is Armadillo, asshole? Answer me already!" Sanji couldn't see straight, his head was spinning and he thought he'd be dead in a second. He gave it one last shot to use his legs, but Croc was sitting on his stomach, there was no way he could kick this guy at all. He was completely defenseless. Croc swung again, still yelling the same questions. _Piece of shit...I'll kick his ass... when I get up._ It didn't seem like that'd be happening from Usopp's point of view. All he could see was Sanji's legs fallin limp, not even he could fight off Crocodile. Something had to be done, there wasn't any other way to keep Sanji from blacking out if he just laid under the bed like this, but Sanji told him to hide.

Usopp couldn't bear listening to this anymore, he was sick of Croc's voice. He tried to keep himself from sniffing, his face was wet with huge tears. He crawled from under the bed, moving on all fours towards Croc. He pulled out a heavy hardcover book from his bag, an art book he had gotten long before he came to this place. He raised it above Croc's head, regretting that he didn't keep the lamp. He could see Sanji's eyes slowly coming to a close over Croc's shoulder, large bruises forming on his head. Usopp frowned, trying to muster all his strength into hitting the man square on the head with the book's edges.

Once he got in a hit, he didn't stop. He couldn't afford to stop incase once wasn't enough. Croc made the mistake of looking back to see where the sudden burst of pain had originated from. Usopp's book landed right above Croc's eye, then the side of his head till he raised his good arm up and fell to the side, off of Sanji. Even after the man had ceased to attack Sanji, Usopp kept swinging the book down onto his cranium, hoping to knock him out. Sanji struggled to get up, leaning on one side just to prop himself up with his elbow. He could see Croc was really fighting to remain conscious, but after a few more hits, he was out.

Regardless, Usopp kept hitting. He probably didn't notice through his blind rage that he had already achieved his goal.

"Us..opp, stop!" Sanji called out, he was at least able to get on his feet. "Hey, you have to stop!" He pulled the book from Usopp's hand and held his wrist. "You keep going you'll kill him..." Usopp's gaze remained on the now inert body below them. They couldn't see the actual injuries through Crocodile's black hair, but they must've been enough to cause this monstrous man to lose consciousness. Sanji pulled Usopp away from Croc's body, setting the book on the bed. "Now let's get our asses out of here, okay? He's out cold, so we'll use this chance to escape. No telling when he'll get back up."

Usopp leaned toward Sanji, clinging onto him. He wiped his nose and eyes on Sanji's shoulder, not wanting to let go. He was able to actually do something for once, rather than just sit around and allow all of that bad shit to happen to him. Finally, it was... over.

"T-There...there." Sanji muttered awkwardly, patting Usopp's back and tried to hug him. "It's all done now, we can get you out of here and finally be done with this place. Come on, let's get going before security shows up or something." He couldn't help but hug a little tighter, it felt good to have gotten this far. What would the Lady say if she knew that they at least got past their biggest obstacle yet? Knowing that it was Usopp that really saved the day before it could get any worse, wouldn't she be proud? He smiled to himself at the thought of Lady being more than pleased that they were able to get out of here. Only thing was, they weren't exactly done just yet.

Sanji let go, though Usopp refused to. He clung tightly, leaning more on Sanji as he stepped back. The blond huffed and pried Usopp's arms off, then turned for the younger one to climb onto his back. Sanji proceeded to pick up the backpack and stuff the book inside, closing it up. He looked back at Crocodile, then opened the door. Now they just needed to find out where to go without drawing too much attention.

"You can... go towards the backstage. There's a door that leads out into the alley," Usopp whispered in between sniffs. "From there, you don't have to worry about anyone finding us..." Sanji gave him a reassuring nod, walking towards the other end of the hallway, going back to where he came in from. Zoro was seen standing by the door that lead back into the main room. Usopp instantly perked up, but didn't let go of Sanji just yet.

"Hey, moss head! You didn't see that mad man chargin' in here a while ago?" Sanji called out, referring to Crocodile. Zoro looked up, seeing that Usopp was okay and let out a very subtle sigh. He walked over to them, smiling up at Usopp.

"I did see him, but I had to hide. There was no way I could just be standing around here without him figuring something was up. Where is he? I got worried."

"He's out like a light in Usopp's old room, kid took him out with a large ass book." Sanji looked back at the bashful long nose who just looked away from them both. "We better hurry up though, there's no telling when that monster will wake again." Zoro nodded in agreement and looked up at his friend, this meant goodbye.

"I suppose I'll see you around, Usopp. You better not come back to this place after all this is over."

"But... But what about you? And N... Lady?" Leaving his only two friends behind like this didn't feel right. He couldn't just abandon them, especially Zoro who went through similar treatment before Usopp came along. "Come with us!" _What?_ "You should just leave with us while you have the chance! Sanji, could he come with us, please?" _Shit, I never agreed to..._

"No, you guys go on. I rather stay and find my own way out."

"Don't be stubborn! You know you can't stand up against him either, don't try to act tough."

"I'm not being stubborn, Usopp. All of this was so YOU could get out of here, not me or anyone else. I can't leave yet."

"But, why? You don't have to stay here and suffer through this anymore. If you just come with us now..." There couldn't be any reason why Zoro needed to stick around any longer. Crocodile was unable to hold them back here anymore, at least while he was knocked out. Maybe Zoro also felt that something would happen if he so much as stepped outside... "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not fucking afraid! Don't say that I just-" He stopped, not sure what else to say. Not even Zoro knew why he was refusing his 'Get Out of Jail Free' card. "I'm not sure where I'd even go after all this. There's no place for me, and it's already enough for curly brows here to just be taking care of you." He crossed his arms, not giving them any other chances to speak, walking toward the door he originally stood by and opened it up. "Now get the hell out of here before I force you out." _He must have some reason, or he really is just too scared to leave._ Sanji didn't fight it, only Usopp whined and called out Zoro's name as he reached for his friend, pulling on his costume.

"I'm not leaving this place without you! Please, Zoro, come with us!" Usopp was much louder than he'd ever been, keeping Sanji from advancing into the alley with how tight his grip was on Zoro. "I refuse to leave here without you. It's because of you and Lady that this place was bearable at all." Zoro was quiet. This was all about getting Usopp out, not the other way around. "I know Lady's fine with staying but you... I know you don't wanna stay here. Give up the tough act and come with us!"

Sanji was still on edge. Knowing that Croc could get up at any moment was bothering him to no end. The man was huge and even if he was knocked out, didn't mean he'd be laying on the floor like that for long. With that in mind, Sanji felt himself job in place, glaring at Zoro for the answer to magically pop out of his mouth. _Any time now!_ It seemed like forever, but Zoro put his hand on Usopp's wrist and sighed heavily.

"Alright, alright. But I'm only coming to make sure you'll be safe. That's the only reason." Zoro pulled Usopp's hand off of his costume, but looked back. "I'll join you in a bit. I have things I need to get, so just go outside and-"

"We'll wait right here!" Usopp objected quickly. _We're fuckin' dead at this rate..._ "You just need to get your swords right? They're important to you, so please hurry! They're in Crocodile's room at the top of his closet. I've seen them more than a few times... Be quick!" Usopp sounded as though he was the one calling the shots. It was a nice change of pace from the sobbing, cynical kid that Sanji first encountered. With that Zoro gave them both one last glance and hurried back to Croc's room. Sanji inched out the door, in case Usopp were to say anything.

With the door to freedom wide open, Sanji began to run out with Usopp bouncing on his back. They made it out! Even though there were some complications, they were able to actually get out of there. Usopp kept looking back at the open door, hoping to see his green haired friend pop out and run right towards them, but even after they had successfully exited the alley, there was no one in sight. Sanji looked between the rows of cars parked along the curbs, never more happy to see his car sitting snug in between two other cars. He smiled to himself and set Usopp down. "My car is just right over here! We made it out, Usopp!"

Even with them under the night sky, Usopp couldn't celebrate just yet. He himself couldn't remember the last time he had been outside of that horrible place. He kept turning back to the alley... Where was Zoro? Sanji could tell that he was waiting for his friend to come out, but there were also two others to worry about as well. Sanji felt his heart sink. He knew those two could carry their own but the last time he saw them, they were getting on Croc's bad side. He huffed and crossed his arms, pulling out his phone in hopes of getting ahold of Ace. He dialed up Ace's number, putting the phone to his ear and gulped.

The ringer went on for a long while before at the last ring someone answered.

"Hello?" Sanji felt his throat clog up, no one said anything into the phone but there were voices in the background. _Answer you dumbass._ "Ace? Luffy?" Sanji began to pace, seeing Usopp peek into the alley again and smiled, looking over at Sanji. Someone must've been coming then.

"Oi! Sanji!" A familiar voice! Sanji smiled himself and sighed, finally.

"Luffy, you're okay! Where's Ace? He okay?"

"Of course! That damn hooked guy was annoying! We kinda made him really mad but it was worth it!"

"You guys aren't hurt are you? Well... you probably are but, knowing you two idiots you would probably brush off a broken arm." Sanji chuckled to himself. "Anyways, come outside, I got Usopp. We need to get going, understand? Now." There was a bit of a long pause.

"No problem! I just gotta carry Ace out, he's still asleep! We'll be right there!" The phone call ended, and Sanji put his phone away, feeling much better. He turned to Usopp again who had ran back down the alley. _Oi, what the fuck? He's just going to see Zoro right? The guy's... there, right?_ Sanji peeked over the corner, seeing Usopp hug his friend. _Ah, good... now we can actually get out of here._ Sanji felt his eyes pan down to the multiple swords that Zoro was holding.

"Those uh... real?" He asked, a bit uneasy. What was this guy doing with real swords?

"Yeah. They're important to me. They were the only reason I stuck around that place, till Usopp came along that is. I coulda cut Crocodile up into tiny pieces if I wanted to, but I could never do something like that." Zoro held up one sword with a white sheathe. "This one especially." He glared at Sanji but then lowered his gaze. "I apologize for coming along, but Usopp gave me no other choice."

"Don't sweat it, Moss Head. Let's just get going. Luffy and Ace'll be here in a-" Sanji heard the two double doors of the "Gentlemen's House" swinging opening. He turned, Seeing Luffy walk out with a sleeping Ace on his back. "Never mind, they're here." _Everything's comin' together._ "S'bout time! Let's pile in the car!"


End file.
